Until The End: Dormant
by Sanity Demolisher
Summary: What creates a monster? Is every villain evil from birth? More often than not, prejudices create the very monsters they fear. But what is set in stone and not? What can be done in the name of love and still be morally good? How many bonds can be broken before they are irrevocably damaged? How long does it take when the world is against you before you turn their hate back on them?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Spring, 5002**

"It's hard to believe it's been two years."

Zell started at the voice and glanced over his shoulder. Irvine tipped his head and stepped up beside him in front of the memorial.

Zell grunted in acknowledgment and went back to studying the statue. The Knight stood with his Gunblade stabbed into the base, staring forward with old eyes. His Sorceress was behind him, a hand on his shoulder and wings spread wide. The figures were so realistic that the names engraved at the base of the statue were hardly needed. Even the scar between the man's eyes had been added to the stone.

His eyes traveled down the stone to the plaque set in the base anyways.

Rest in Peace

- Commander Squall Leonhart & Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly –

4981 y – 5000 y

He looked away, swallowed, and then glanced back up at the stone faces. They were only a few feet above him. The original, near Winhill, was fifteen feet tall but this replica had been constructed smaller to fit inside the Garden.

Finally he glanced over at Irvine, taking in the black attire and grim expression. "You know what gets me every year?" he asked. At Irvine's negative he continued. "We don't even know the day to set the anniversary on."

"Today is as good as any," Irvine replied neutrally.

Zell scowled. "What brought you here?" So far as he knew Irvine had already come to pay respect at the statue earlier that day.

"There's been a sighting of a child with wings," came the reply. Zell's eyes snapped back to his friends' and he felt his eyes widening. The brunette continued. "Someone thought they saw her in Esthar. The headmaster would like us to go over the case again."

After a moment Zell grimaced and rubbed a hand over his face. "Fucking Hyne. Of all the days…" Irvine waited silently.

A girl with wings. Wings meant one thing – sorceronic power.

He'd never really thought much about Rinoa's sorceronic powers until after the war. It was what it was and it had been a huge asset. But afterwards, when it was leaked how destroyed the world had been during Ultimecia's reign of the future, there had been panic. Rinoa had been safe only because she was obviously not Ultimecia, but any sorceress after her had the potential of becoming the tyrant. The fear had only died when Rinoa promised to take her power with her when she died, never transferring it. People accepted that.

Then Rinoa had become pregnant.

It had set off worse panic than before. What would the magic do to a fetus? Was it possible for a sorceress to be _born_? Did the power even affect the baby? Ultrasounds didn't work, just fizzled and died when placed on Rinoa's belly.

It had gone downhill from there. Rinoa got thinner and more haggard-looking each month and Squall was prescribed medication for insomnia and depression. Xu had eventually taken over as temporary Commander for him as he and Rinoa spent more and more time hidden away. Rinoa became practically unbearable to be around.

After her fifth month of pregnancy, when she'd accidently killed her dog Angelo after it startled her, Squall had taken her to the vacation house in Esthar that Lorie had given the gang after the war. Things had gotten better then, with the press not able to get near the couple. Squall's reports on Rinoa's pregnancy said that she was doing better, getting healthy again. They'd thought it was under control.

Until Squall's communication had cut off in the ninth month.

Giving the statue another glance, Zell sighed and turned away.

Not speaking, they left the Quad and headed for the records room. As they passed through the library Irvine nodded his head at the librarian's glance, then pulled a card from his pocket as they came to the back end of the room and a door. Zell stood aside as the long-haired brunette swiped the card through the reader and opened the metal door. Then, hesitating only a moment, he followed his friend in and shut the door firmly behind them.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered and moved to the filing cabinets in the back, walking past four rows of cabinets labeled 'Active' until he came to the 'Deceased' row. Setting himself on autopilot he shuffled halfway down the row until he found the cabinet marked 'L'. Irvine followed and passed him to pull open 'H'. Zell had opened these drawers so many times in the initial investigation that there was no need to read the names on the files anymore. His fingers reached towards the sizable file near the front and pulled it out. Cradling it to his chest he shut the drawer and glanced at Irvine. Irvine closed his own drawer, nodded at him, and they made their way back to the front of the room to the large table.

Zell placed the file on the table and sat down heavily in one of the chairs. "Pictures first," Irvine murmured, sitting down next to him and opening his file. Reluctantly Zell reached for his own and started pulling out the pictures that had been paper-clipped in and spread them on the table.

It didn't take long for him to start to feel sick. These had been ugly deaths and the fact that the deceased had been emotionally close crushed the fact in brutally. His eye's flinched over the picture of the Gunblade they'd uncovered in the ruins of the house and the mangled pistol found in the clearing, but that only brought him to the picture of the corpse half submerged in the shallows of the stream.

He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and focusing on the image. One wing had been torn at the shoulder and sagged, half ripped off, against Rinoa's back. The other, soaked with water, had sunk under the stream's surface. The moisture and blood had stained them a darker color, but he could see even through the film that they'd been grey with splotches of black, not the white they had been when he'd seen them in the war.

It wasn't the dark wings and whatever that implied that frightened him the most however. It was the talons. They looked rather dainty but he'd seen them up close in the autopsy room and the obsidian sharp claws had been stained with blood. The scene had been incriminating enough but they'd done a test on the blood flecks anyways – Squall's.

The torn wing had been shot twice, and there had been two more gunshot wounds in Rinoa's shoulder and leg. The bullet entrances were the approximate size of the bullets in Squall's pistol which had, incidentally, been short four bullets. But no shot had been lethal and the autopsy had shown the cause of death as drowning.

Glancing away from the image he pulled the pictures of ground sections together and flipped through them. There was a lot of area that suggested someone had been down and struggling; some had scuff marks from a pair of boots, some with raked dirt from fingers or in the larger ones, talons. Many had blood soaked in the dirt. Some indicated it had dripped, others showed that it had gushed onto the ground. The faint shoeprints in the dirt had overlapped too much in most to make any sense out of, but he stared at those too. He set them aside in frustration a minute later and turned to one of the last ones.

It was obvious Squall had been lying on the ground a few feet from where Rinoa had been found and the deep scuff marks near where the heels and shoulders would have been showed that he'd been writhing about, most possibly in pain. The blood soaked into the ground underneath the spot added to the gory image but the worst was the Blue Dragon footprints that circled around him and the splattered blood trail leading into the forest.

Swallowing his gag reflex, Zell pushed the picture away. "Hyne," he whispered.

The public had been told that the Balamb Commander had died in combat. It was better that way. Blue Dragon's were solitary hunters but when they found food they brought it back to the nests to share. And judging from the sporadic heel marks along the trail he'd been dragged across the Commander had been alive when the dragon had towed him back to its nest.

He breathed in through his nose and reminded himself that Irvine had had Ellone take him back into the last moments of Squall's life. The brunette had never shared what he'd seen but he had assured them that Squall had died before actually reaching the nests.

"Here" Irvine said quietly and passed him a picture of the burned baby skeleton they had found in a freshly turned grave near the house with traces of an inferno spell on the bones.

There hadn't been much to investigate. Father, mother and child had all been accounted for. There was nothing to explain why Rinoa and Squall had been fighting each other but the burned bones spoke for themselves. Lab tests had been spotty due to the charred state but it was clear that the baby had not been born alive; the skull and the sternum malformed to such an extent that any heart or brain would not have been able to function properly.

They had discovered what the magic had done to the baby after all.

They only had theories but the most believable one, the one they had given the press, had been Rinoa going insane after the stillbirth, destroying the house and attacking Squall. The Commander's Gunblade had been in the ruins - Squall had only used his pistol and he hadn't shot Rinoa anywhere vital. It was pretty clear that he had been acting in self-defense.

Ellone had tried to look further into Squall's past but had been blocked. All she could see of that day was just the few minutes of Squall's death. She'd refused to help after that, saying that Squall had once asked her to not look into his past. She was convinced that he'd done something to prevent her from doing just that in case she broke his trust. The proof that he hadn't trusted her to keep her word and the fact that she _had _broken his trust had crushed her. She'd never lent her powers to them again.

There were too many questions and not enough answers surrounding the case but in the end it had been closed as a tragic misfortune. There was simply nowhere to go to for the answers. There were only two people who knew what had happened that day and they were dead. It had been laid to rest.

Until now.

"You think she did it?" he finally asked, still staring down at the picture of the baby's bones, his mind circling back to Irvine's words in the Quad.

Wings meant sorceronic power. Rinoa had been the last sorceress.

But if there was some girl in Esthar with wings that meant Rinoa had transferred her power before she'd died. "Dr. Odine said the sorceronic power was unilineal," Zell continued. "There's only the one strand of power that can be transferred from generation to generation. It would mean Rinoa transferred the powers to the girl… unless the doctor was wrong."

Irvine looked at him. "You think there's some other strand of power out there?"

Zell sighed and set the picture down with the others. "I don't know, Irvine. Why would Rinoa transfer her powers after she told everyone she wouldn't? And to some child no one knows about?"

Irvine stood and stepped away from the table and started pacing. "Dr. Odine said there was only one strand of power and that as far as anyone knew the power was only ever transferred to females. Squall said that Ultimecia traveled all the way to the orphanage to transfer her powers to Edea." The brunette rubbed his forehead and paced for another minute before he stopped. "Maybe… maybe a sorceress _can't_ die without transferring their power. It was just Squall, you, and I when Squall ran Ultimecia through. There was no female present. She would have _had_ to leave to find a female."

Zell rubbed a hand through his hair. "So Rinoa lied then when she said she wouldn't transfer it?"

"Maybe she didn't know."

And yet Squall had guessed, apparently, if he'd talked to Irvine about Ultimecia's departure from their battle. Why hadn't he said anything when Rinoa had promised to take the power with her to her death? When had he told Irvine? Why hadn't he told anyone else? Zell frowned and thought it over then came to another thought. "Matron didn't die when she transferred the power to Rinoa."

"No, but it was a close call. A near-death experience." Irvine's voice trembled slightly and trailed off. Zell's mood saddened even further. Edea had died the month after Squall had left with Rinoa. Her heart had just given out one night.

Hyne, if only she was still alive. She might have been able to tell them what they needed know.

"Alright," Zell said roughly, pushing the grief back and running a hand through his hair. "Let's say for the sake of the argument that Rinoa _had_ to transfer her powers. That means she had to have transferred her powers before or during the fight."

"What if someone else was there?"

Zell slunk low in his chair. Maybe; maybe some hiker had stumbled on the fight by accident with their daughter. Or had Rinoa gone out and found some female before going insane? But, why the hell transfer the powers to a _child_ in the first place. The damage an unthinking child could do with that kind of power could be catastrophic. Had Rinoa really cracked mentally before the fight?

He clenched the hand in his hair. How the hell were they expected to figure out what had happened? They had _nothing_ to work from. They didn't even know how old this child in Esthar was. "This is useless," he growled. "Speculation is going to get us nowhere. That child is the only thing that's going to give us any answers."

Irvine sat back down beside him. "You know what it means, don't you?" It was almost a whisper.

"Maybe it's a genetic mutation," he argued, ignoring Irvine's low words. "Do we know what Dr. Odine has been working on lately?"

"Laguna Loire has him under guard in Esthar. We can give him a call but I don't believe Odine would be able to do any human experiments without raising an alarm."

Zell let his hand rub down over his face before dropping into his lap. Rinoa had promised not to transfer her powers to assuage the public. Whether or not she had, there _was_ a new sorceress in the world.

He faced the reality. "This child in Esthar could be Ultimecia."


	2. Chapter 1

**Part 1**

**Spring 5004**

- "We can't allow another Sorceress to rule over the world. We _can't_." -

Squall slowed his walk and breathed out into the cool morning air. It was still a little chilly at the end of Marua but no puff of air showed from his exhalation. Spring was finally showing itself.

"Daddy, cum on!"

He blinked and picked up his pace so Chayla could pull him by the hand towards the open fence leading into the neighborhood playground. Apparently even that wasn't fast enough for her because she bounced up and down and tugged on his hand in agitation.

"Daddy's going to sit on the bench," he replied as they passed beyond the gate. "Go ahead and play."

The four-year old pouted at him for a minute, gripping his hand, but then she heard the squeals of the other girls there. She glanced over her shoulder at the playground before looking back up at him. "Don' go away," she said, her expression serious. Then she smiled and twirled around, dashing off towards the slides.

After watching her leap up the playground steps towards two other girls there, Squall moved to the bench on the north side that had a view of the whole playground and sat down. It had been a little under a month since they had moved here but Chayla had always made friends easily and had acquired two new ones the first day he'd brought her to the playground. Emily and Hailey came to the playground every Mondi so he'd begun to bring her once a week as well. By the time he'd sat down the three were already embroiled in a game of tag.

It wasn't long before a woman across the park stood up as if she had been waiting for him. He eyed her warily as she stepped over the wood shavings, heading for him. She was a middle aged woman with dark hair, dark eyes, civilian clothes, and a warm smile. Non-threatening, he decided as she stopped in front of him.

"Hi. I'm Emily and Hailey's mother. You must be Chayla's father; she has your face." She held out a hand and after a moment Squall realized he was supposed to shake it. He did so briefly before tugging his hand back uneasily. That smile radiated from the woman again as she took a seat on the bench, leaving a foot of space between them. "My girls have been talking about Chayla all week so I thought I'd come with them today to introduce myself. They couldn't wait to come out this morning."

He wondered what she wanted. There was a wedding band on her left ring finger and the bag she carried over a shoulder had a paperback book in it. Married, happy, and carrying a third child by the look of the subtle belly bulge. Realizing he was assessing and categorizing her, he glanced down at his hands and then put them in his jacket pockets. She seemed to be waiting for him to say something. "Chayla was excited as well."

The woman smiled. "You're new in the neighborhood right?" she asked, setting her bag down on the bench beside her. Squall nodded, watching the three children play. Chayla tripped and fell once, but in a flash she was up again and after a squealing Hailey. "Welcome then," the mother said and turned slightly to watch her daughters as well in a preoccupied manner.

After a few moments she turned back and studied him. "So young," she murmured. He didn't think he was supposed to have heard. "Well…" She paused, eyes furrowing.

He'd learned enough to know what the pause meant. "Shane."

"Well Shane, my name is Marilia." She shifted. "I was thinking the other day that the girls would love to have a play date with Chayla somewhere other than the playground. I believe we live in the same apartment complex, so it'd be really easy to set something up." Squall looked sideways at Marilia, surprised, and she went on. "I saw you unloading your car that first week." Something shifted in the woman's eyes after she said that – pity - but only for a second. "Anyways, Chayla could come over for a few hours. And my husband and I can cook a big dinner for you two." Now _she_ was assessing _him_, looking him up and down, eyeing the scar down his cheek and his paleness. "I'm sure you could use a good meal."

"I'm fine," he said automatically, shifting his eyes back to the children. "What is a… play date?"

Marilia seemed startled. "Well… it's just when children get together to play. The parent's generally arrange it."

"A play-date sounds fun," a melodious voice said, coming up from behind and then a caramel haired woman collapsed down onto what little surface there was on his other side, her elbow and thigh crowding into his own. Squall glanced at her sharply, recognition and shock slamming through him. She smiled lazily at him then leaned forward to talk to Marilia over him. "You have children then?"

Marilia gestured to the only three children in the playground, and then eyed the new woman warily. "A pleasure to meet you…"

"Alina. I'm a friend of Shane's. He's not very vocal so I do most of the talking for him."

Squall made a scoffing noise in the back of his throat as he tried to decide if moving away from Alina would make them think he was moving closer to Marilia. Marilia gave a surprised laugh at Alina's comment. "Ah, I see." But he could see her subtly glancing between the two of them, questions lingering in her eyes.

Alina nudged Squall's elbow with her own while shoving her hands into her own jacket's pockets. "Chayla would love a play-date. You know she would."

"Lena!" there was a shriek and a mass of black hair and tumbling limbs launched itself at Alina. Alina had to pull her hands free quickly to catch Chayla. Then, settling the child on her lap in a familiar manner, she let the child give her a crushing hug. Hailey and Emily weren't far behind and wasted no time in trying to scramble up into laps as well. Squall leapt up before Hailey could clamber into his, then tried to disguise the reflexive motion by picking the girl up under the arms and placing her where he had been sitting. She grinned at him toothily.

"Lena's here daddy!" Chayla squeaked, craning around to find where he had gone. "Lena's come for my birfday!"

"Birthday?" Marilia exclaimed. "Chayla, is your birthday today?" At Chayla's exuberant nodding and demonstration that she was the equivalent of four fingers old, Marilia glanced up at Squall. "You should have said something."He shrugged, jammed his hands back into his pockets and looked at Alina under his lashes. What the hell was she doing here in Deling?

"Mom, Chayla needs a present." Emily's statement brought his eyes back around and he opened his mouth to forestall their mother from making any promises but Chayla beat him to it. "Daddy already got me some."

Alina was staring at him over Chayla's head, looking him up and down, assessing him like Marilia had done earlier. He glared at her, trying to convey that he wanted her to stop. When she saw she pursed her lips but dropped her eyes.

Chayla was telling Hailey, Emily and their mother that she knew her presents were hidden in the closet but that one was really huge. Talk about presents caused her to want to get onto opening them and so Marilia slipped Squall a note with her phone number and a reminder to call for the play-date before taking Hailey and Emily's hands and leading them back to the playground.

Chayla leapt off Alina's lap, took up one hand and urged the older woman up and over to Squall. Squall let Chayla take his hand too and then the determined four-year-old led them both out of the park to the sidewalk.

Once they were on the other side of the fence and away from Marilia's family, he directed his full attention to Alina. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for Chayla's birthday," Alina replied, looking at him with an innocent expression.

He frowned. "You came all the way here for her birthday?" How had she found them?

"No," she said and laughed, looking pleased with herself. "I live here now."

"What?!" He might have dragged Chayla to a stop with him if she hadn't already stopped and turned to Alina as well. But while his expression was one of incomprehension, hers was all delight.

"Are we neighbors again?" she asked, all thoughts of presents derailed.

Alina's smirk left and as smiled down at the girl. "No, sweetie. I'm living with my sister, but it's only ten minutes away from you."

Squall tried to make sense out of what she'd said. "Why are you with your sister? Did something happen?"

She glanced back up. "I don't know. _Did_ something happen?" She was eyeing him again. "Why did you uproot and leave so suddenly?" Squall shot a quick look down at Chayla who had just opened her mouth and she closed it with a guilty look, hopefully remembering the "discussion" he had had with her when they had moved. Alina didn't miss the look and she put her free hand on her hip. "Oh Hyne, you're corrupting her with your secretiveness."

Squall gently tugged Chayla towards him and she let go of Alina's hand so that he could pick her up and settle her on his hip before continuing up the sidewalk. It was his blunt reminder to Alina that how he raised Chayla was up to him. The caramel-haired woman gave a disgruntled shake of her head but let it be. "Well, whatever happened, I couldn't just let you disappear like that. Luckily for me, I was home the day you left so I followed you. Once you'd stopped here I went home to clear some things up and now… here I am."

She had _followed _them? Hyne, he was slipping if he hadn't noticed her car behind him for the five hours it had taken to get to Deling. "I didn't ask you to follow us," he said instead of the curses he wanted to spit out.

"No," Alina agreed.

Alina was a non-threatening looking woman; caramel haired, green eyed, fashionably clothed, with a charismatic personality. She had no fighting or weapon experience. She was just a civilian. Nonetheless, she made him nervous. "So why did you?"

"Because I wanted to."

Squall frowned at her evasiveness. And she went on about _his_ secrets? "You had friends in Timber. And a job."

Alina poked a finger into his shoulder. "You're my friend too."

Squall stared at the sidewalk in front of them. _He couldn't afford to have friends_. The thought was four years old and worn around the edges after Alina's insistent picking at it. She'd been chipping at it for a year and now he wasn't sure how to classify her. He'd _thought_ the move had solved that.

"You're my friend too, right Lena?" Chayla asked, peeking around his shoulder

"Of course! The best of friends."

Squall glanced back up. "You should go home."

"I've made my home here now."

He sighed. Hyne's blood, he didn't understand her. The apartment had come into view and he could see her red car parked on the side road they were on.

Chayla squeaked as Squall's phone started vibrating in his pocket and against her leg. Frowning, Squall moved Chayla to his other hip and pulled the device out. The number displayed made him glance at Alina and she raised an eyebrow at him. After a moment of deliberation he flipped it open and held it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"It's me," Laguna said softly. "I'm alone. Can I wish her a happy birthday?"

"Of course," Squall said. Chayla was watching him with avid eyes. "It's grandpa," he told her and watched as a smile lit up her face. She wrapped her small hands around the phone and pressed it tightly against her ear.

"Ganpa! Guess what?"

Squall put his free arm under Chayla again and continued down the sidewalk. Alina matched his pace. "He called last year too," she suddenly said. Squall kept walking. She didn't let him get away without contributing to her conversation though. "Shane," she said and Squall compliantly glanced at her. "Your father calls but he never visits."

There was a question there. "He can't," he murmured.

As Alina's overeager mind puzzled that out he shifted his shoulders, trying to loosen the muscles there. It was true that Laguna had never visited. As Esthar's president there was no way he would be able to leave without an armed escort. He'd only seen Chayla once, just after she had been born.

"So why don't _you_ ever go visit him?" Alina questioned, asking the next logical question. He didn't answer and she frowned at him as he turned up his sidewalk and walked towards the apartment's stairs. "Don't tell me it's the classic strained relationship."

"How do you know I haven't?" he asked her as she followed him to his door. She shrugged, then hovered as he got the key out of his pocket and opened the door, and followed him in before he could shut it in her face. She immediately skipped to the kitchen and started rummaging through the cupboards.

"Daddy," Chayla said poking him in the shoulder as he locked the door. She was holding his phone out to him. Taking it he set her down and she ran over to Alina. He eyed the two for a second before moving into the bedroom.

"Still there?" he asked, sitting on the bed. It gave him a full view of Alina and Chayla in the kitchen but this far away he would have some privacy.

"Yes," Laguna replied. "I heard about the incident in Timber."

Squall grimaced. "What's in the news?"

"Not much. SeeD is trying to keep it from the general public. You're not going to tell me where you are now, are you?"

"No," he said, placing his free hand flat on his jeans and looking at the miniscule scars there. He heard Laguna sigh softly.

_Laguna closed the bedroom door and sighed softly. Turning into the room he started unbuttoning his cuffs but froze as he caught sight of the huddled mass in the corner near his bed. In a second his gun was out and trained on the shadow. When it didn't move, he took a small step to the wall and flicked the lights on. _

_His gun dropped as the Squall Leonhart was illuminated. The kid raised a hand to shield his eyes from the brightness and tightened himself around whatever he was huddled around. _

"_Squall?" Laguna asked incredulously then cursed softly at his lack of formality. As the shock reached its full height his eyes began to take in the blood stains and dirt. Worry combined with the shock and he hurried forward. It looked like the young man had been through a battle. _

_Squall watched him with hard eyes as he knelt in front of him. Laguna didn't like the look. It held hard determination that was chased around by a glazed look of pain and deep primal fear. Screw formality. "Squall?" he repeated softly. _

_Squall's cracked lips opened and he inhaled. "You're my father."_

_Laguna fell back, his eyes widening. _

"_I'm your son," Squall continued, "and I need your help."_

_Then he unfurled a little and showed Laguna what he'd been holding._

Squall blinked the vision away, his breath hitching_._ It was happening again. Laguna must have been thinking about it for Squall to get the memory backlash. Laguna's memory. Fuck him, it was happening _again_.

"Are you doing okay? Do you need any money?"

Grateful for the distraction, Squall swallowed and pushed the memory and its implications to the side for later deliberation and glanced around the sparsely furnished room. He'd only been able to bring what would fit in the car, so there wasn't much. He'd had to buy the bed when they'd gotten here. He must have hesitated too long because Laguna spoke again. "I'm going to put money in the cache for you."

"Don't," Squall argued, rubbing his head.

"How are you going to pay for rent and food Sq-" Laguna broke off before the name could get out and exhaled heavily before continuing. "How much did you spend on Chayla today? Where are you financially?"

Squall frowned and glanced back into the kitchen. Alina and Chayla had piled baking bowls on the cabinet top and were now going through the fridge. What were they looking for? "I've got enough to get us through a few months. It'll give me enough time to find something."

"Like what?" Laguna knew the constraints Squall had on being able to work a job.

"I don't know yet."

"Son, please, let me help. If this is all I can do then let me do it. Money's _not_ a problem." Squall looked back down at his hand and traced a finger along the seam of his jeans. If he said yes he'd have some more breathing room. After a moment of silence Laguna spoke again. "I'm putting money in the cache. Which one?"

Squall sighed angrily. He didn't want Laguna to send the money but he didn't want to refuse it either. He crushed his pride down enough to say "The same one."

"Still on the same continent then. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Don't tell me you forgot the cake mix!" Alina shouted from the kitchen and a cabinet slammed. Squall looked up towards the door, startled.

"Is that a woman?" Laguna asked, humor coloring his voice.

Squall stood up and walked to the door, meeting Alina there as she made to barge in. "I'll go get some."

"The point is that you forgot it in the first place." She accused. She glanced down at Chayla who had followed her and was imitating the older woman by putting her hands on her hips. "Did he forget your cake last year too sweetheart?"

"Thas okay, we had ice cream."

Alina turned back to Squall and gave him an irate look. "I'll get some," he promised as guilt flushed through him.

"Finish your phone call then while we get ready. For Hyne's sake, Shane." She ushered Chayla away and Squall leaned against the doorframe, sighing.

"Shane is a… common name." Laguna commented hesitantly.

"That's why I picked it," he said softly. Alina watched Chayla proudly demonstrate that she knew how to tie her shoes. He indulged in a little smile at his daughter's thrill for her own accomplishment.

Laguna seemed to be on the same wavelength. "Ah Hyne. Four years old. I wish I had a picture. If I put a doll in the cache will you tell her it's from her grandfather?"

Squall quickly went through a couple scenarios. All came to the same end. If it was discovered there would be nothing to tie it to Laguna, not unless the man wrote a note or was caught which was unlikely. "Don't let it connect back to you," was all he said in the end.

Laguna laughed. "Come now, I didn't last this long as president by making mistakes like that."

Alina was looking towards him curiously. "I have to go."

Cheer fled. "Tell her I love her. Please take care of yourselves."

"I will," he replied and flipped the phone shut before anything else could be said. Shoving off the doorframe he moved towards Chayla and Alina. "Let's go."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Alina glanced sideways at Shane. The talk with his father had upset him. He would never tell her so but she could see it in the tightness of his shoulders. Maybe the relationship really was strained. He must have felt her eyes on him because he looked over at her.

"Nothing," she murmured and he turned back to listen to Chayla's story about why dogs hated cats while looking for the aisle that stocked cake mixes. But instead of looking away, Alina studied him. He looked worn down. Well, more worn down than usual.

Brown eyes were slightly red-rimmed in the fluorescent lights and there were shadows under those eyes making him look gaunter than he was. But if his face was a little thin, the muscles that his cotton shirt expanded over showed that he wasn't malnourished. She took a second to appreciate the sight of toned maleness then sighed. No, she knew it was only stress and not enough sleep that caused him to look haunted.

His black hair was in need of a cut again too. It grew impossibly fast in her opinion but then so did Chayla's. She'd cut the little girl's hair two months ago but it looked like it was already two inches longer. She silently harrumphed then tried to imagine what Shane would look like with long hair. If he didn't cut it, it wouldn't take long to reach his back.

Studying his hair and face caused her eyes to alight on the scar on his cheek. It was under his right eye and traveled from there down across his cheekbone. There was still some redness to it, so it had to have happened after the scar between his eyebrows. That one was white and faded with age.

He had never told her how he had gotten his scars. She wasn't sure he ever would but she didn't think someone could get those kinds of scars unless they'd been in a lot of battles. A soldier. That was her running hypothesis, that he had been a Galbadian soldier during the sorceress war and had had a sweetheart somewhere. Whatever had happened, the mother was nowhere in the picture – Chayla didn't even remember a mother.

"Will you stop staring at me, please?" Shane said when Chayla took a break from her mile-a-minute speech.

Alina smiled at his uneasiness and looked away. He always got fidgety when she stared too long, like he thought she could figure out all his secrets if she looked long enough. If only. Seeing the mixes she pointed and he stopped his forward motion abruptly to turn down the aisle. She followed, eyeing the pastries they were bypassing hungrily.

It was a pity about the mother, but she'd never found any pictures of her anywhere and Shane never answered any questions related to the woman or Chayla's birth.

So, maybe a soldier who'd left the army to raise his daughter? He was only twenty-two so that put him at eighteen when Chayla had been born. Talk about starting fast. But then maybe he didn't know the girl hadn't been on a pill? Or didn't care in the moment? There were plenty of four year olds whose parent's had consummated marriage during the war – ha! and there had been plenty of divorces too once the war had been won. Maybe Shane and his sweetheart had feared the end of the world like hundreds of others and hadn't thought they'd be around long enough for any baby conceived to make a difference.

But the world hadn't ended. It had been saved by SeeD's Commander Leonhart something.

She scrunched her nose up for a second. SeeD. They were a secretive and pompous bunch if anyone asked her. She had seen two once, in Timber on a mission for the resistance. They hadn't done anything except look important and stuck-up. There were stories that that Leonhart guy had come a few years later and helped the resistance but she wasn't sure she believed it.

They also said that he was only seventeen when he defeated the sorceress and that his father was the president of Esthar but that he had never known. Or he'd been raised in secret in Esthar; no, he'd been raised as a boy-soldier in the military. He'd been in love with Sorceress Heartilly, General Caraway's daughter; the sorceress had him bound in a spell, he'd actually been in love with the evil knight Almasy; he'd never lost a fight; he fought with a sword seven feet long; he'd stolen the position of Commander after killing the previous headmaster; he'd killed the sorceress Heartilly; she'd killed him; he'd killed himself.

There were so many rumors out there that she made a habit of not believing any of them. He'd probably been a middle aged man in command who had taken the credit of killing the sorceress from his soldiers and lavished in an office, staring at his medals.

_Whoever_ the man had been, he had died four years ago and SeeD had become even more stuck-up then they had been before.

Chayla picked out yellow cake to go with the vanilla frosting they had at home and let Alina hold the box while they backtracked to the checkout stations. But she wanted to be the one to scan the box over the glass scanner and put it in the grocery bag as Shane paid in cashed gil.

Alina watched Chayla as she concentrated on getting the barcode just right. Whatever had happened in the past that Shane wasn't telling her, she knew he loved Chayla with all his heart. He had braided her hair that morning and put a sparking butterfly clip in to hold her bangs up on her head. She was always clean and her clothing fit her and while she didn't attend a daycare, Shane made sure to take her out to play with other children. He took better care of her than he did himself.

Impulsively, once they had exited the store, she scooped Chayla up in an arm and linked her other through Shane's. "Now, it's time to party!" Feeling Shane's arm beginning to retract, she clamped her arm in, trapping his against her side and made for his car: a rugged, reliable truck with wheels meant to four-wheel over mountains. Which it probably had she mused. She had seen the car in Shane's driveway in Timber more than once coated in mud or dust.

She thumped its grey surface when they reached it then grimaced and wiped her hand on her pant leg. It looked like he hadn't washed it since driving all the way to Deling either. "Wash your car," she told him as he tugged away and opened the doors.

"Yea daddy, wash our car," Chayla echoed as Alina ducked into the back to tuck her into the car-seat. Shane who had slid into the driver's seat looked back at them over his shoulder.

"Why? It will just get dirty again."

Chayla turned to look at Alina and shrugged as if saying 'See? Daddy has the right of it.'

Alina snorted, finished buckling all the straps and then hopped into the passenger seat. They were pulling out into the street when Chayla spoke up from the back. "Lena, do you really live here too?"

She saw Shane's gaze dart towards her before he glanced back to the road. She turned sideways in her seat so she could see Chayla easily. "Yep. That's right."

"Daddy, you said you don't tell Lena about moving," Chayla accused, moving her gaze to her father.

"Didn't, not don't," Shane corrected, changing lanes. "And no, I didn't tell Alina we were moving." He shot her an accusatory look.

"Don't worry Chayla. I won't let your daddy get rid of me," she said watching Shane.

"Were you trying to get rid of her, daddy? Thas mean."

Shane's brow furrowed and he put his left elbow up on the window so he could lean his head on his fist. "I wasn't trying to get rid of her. We just had to move… remember?"

Alina turned her head quickly and saw Chayla's expression – unhappiness – before it slipped into something neutral. "I remember" the girl said and turned to look out the window. Alina frowned. No girl of four years should ever look that sad. What in Hyne's name had caused it? She glanced back in time to see Shane looking at Chayla through the review mirror, his own expression taunt with distress, before he snapped his eyes back to the road and smoothed his own expression out.

Alina sat straight and crossed her arms. Obviously Shane had instructed Chayla not to tell Alina what had happened. All _she_ knew was that four weeks ago his slamming car door had brought her to her window, next door in the two-house condo they shared, and she had watched him drag Chayla out of the car and literally bolt into his own house. She'd gone over and rung the doorbell but they hadn't answered and two days later they were pulling out of the driveway at the break of dawn with the car loaded.

Shane was a secretive and cautious man, but that had hurt. Why would he leave without even a word? _And _leave half of his furniture.

It looked like he was running from something, and that worried her. She didn't know who he would be running from. Some drug-lord out for revenge? An old enemy from his days as a solider? If he was running, it might explain why he so frequently looked ragged and tired.

She didn't like it one bit. Whether Shane realized it, he was her friend and friends looked out for friends. So she had followed him. She glanced over at Shane and mentally nodded to herself. She'd decided. She would help him out of whatever mess he'd gotten himself into.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"This is a nice restaurant," Ellone remarked as she sat down and pulled her chair in before Irvine could get it for her. He turned and pulled one out for Selphie instead. Quistis was eying Zell as he sat back and watched her pull her own in with a smile.

"Money's not an issue," Irvine replied as he took his own seat next to the two blondes.

Ellone picked up the menu and glanced down the length of it. "It's not?" She made a sound upon seeing the prices and glanced back up. "Aren't you doing less missions in leeway of… the other one?"

Irvine felt his metaphorical hackles rise at the mention and sidestepped. "Selphie and Quistis still go out."

"With what Squall left us we can indulge for special occasions," Selphie said, ignoring the atmosphere like only she could and answering bluntly. Ellone furrowed her eyebrows and looked at all of them. Irvine tugged on his black dress shirt and saw Zell doing the same next to him. Quistis was looking down at her plate. Selphie set down her own menu and huffed at them all before turning back to Ellone. "Squall left his money to us in his will."

"His will?" Ellone echoed incredulously.

Irvine had shared her incredulity when they had found the document in Squall's desk. The Commander had been eighteen years old, in the prime of his life. But there it had been, a page long and signed by an official witness.

"It was dated to Rinoa's fifth month of pregnancy," Selphie continued.

"Just before he took her to Esthar?"

Irvine nodded to Ellone's question and then took the conversation back to money in hopes of leaving the other topic alone. "Squall rarely spent the money he earned. The amount in the will was considerable."

Ellone's eyes reddened and she looked down, fidgeting with a napkin. "Do you think he knew? …That he would die?"

Irvine looked away and shuddered at the idea. But… Squall _had _written a will. At eighteen years old.

Only he and Ellone knew the full circumstances of Squall and Rinoa's deaths, that it had been Squall who had held Rinoa's head under the water where she'd drowned - the Commander's vision had been black around the edges and his grip wasn't very strong, but Rinoa had aided him with all her thrashing and sodden wings. And that just before Rinoa had completely drowned Squall had been hit by some magic. It hadn't been the Blue Dragon or blood loss that had eventually killed Squall. It had been whatever magic Rinoa had thrown at him before she died.

He'd never told anyone what he and Ellone had seen, only confirmed the deaths. He hadn't wanted Squall's legacy to be shadowed by the knowledge that he'd been the one to kill Rinoa. It was better if everyone thought the battle itself and the wounds received had killed the two. He'd kept the aching questions of why to himself.

Irvine looked over at Ellone, now quietly dabbing at her eyes with her napkin. He'd cornered her two years ago after the first report from Esthar came in about the child sorceress. Zell had focused solely on the child for answers but Irvine had _needed _to know why Rinoa had transferred her powers and to who. But Ellone had refused to take him back further into Squall's past. The only inch she'd given was when he'd asked if she could look into Rinoa's or the child's memories. The child she couldn't reach because she didn't know her, but Rinoa she had reluctantly agreed to try.

Trying was all they had accomplished. Ellone hadn't been able to find Rinoa's past after the war. After their fight with Edea in Galbadia Garden to be precise. Once Edea had transferred her powers to Rinoa, Rinoa's future had disappeared from Ellone's reach. Ellone would have said that meant she had died but both she and Irvine had seen Rinoa very much alive after that. Something about the sorceronic power blocked her gift.

That could have meant that the block in Squall's past had been put there by a Sorceress – Rinoa. But even that hadn't convinced Ellone to try and force her way past the block. She'd still refused to send him to Squall's past. He had become taboo for the woman in all forms related to her gift.

So he'd given up and followed Zell's lead in focusing on the child. They'd combed Esthar, listened to the sketchy witness report, gotten an even sketchier drawing of the child, and in the end hit a wall. There had been nothing. The city was simply too large and the witness too unsure.

The whole thing was too sketchy. He'd hoped it had all just been a mistake.

But then, four weeks ago, there had been another sighting, this time in Timber. And this time there had been a man involved. Irvine and Zell were being deployed to the city the next day now that the paperwork and politics had finished and teams been created, with strict orders to find a lead this time.

Irvine reached up and rubbed his face. They'd gotten nowhere in Esthar. The investigation had gone cold. And Irvine knew this one would too if he didn't do something fast. The something, he'd decided, was Ellone. If Ellone could get past the block on Squall's past, they could figure out how the child was related to the incident.

He wondered at how he might bring it up as they all ordered food and drinks. The waitress looked askance at their black mourning attire but didn't voice the question. After she left with the menus and their extravagant prices tucked under her arms, Ellone leaned forward with a false smile on her face.

"So what have you all been doing? Besides the big mission of course?"

Selphie indulged her change of topic instantly. "Have you seen the new Garden in Trabia? Once we discovered that the Garden's were actually mobile ships, they were able to dig up the base machinery and rebuild on it. Mr. Kramer had some old blueprints that helped as well. It's even bigger than before and they received their second year of new recruits in Augusua."

Ellone shook her head and smiled. "I haven't seen it. I've been working in the Pandora Lab for what seems years, overseeing Dr. Odine's work."

Zell made a disgusted sound. "I don't see how you can work with that man. He did research on you when you were a child."

"Oh, he never hurt me," Ellone responded quickly. "And he's just exuberant. He needs to be reminded of ethics once in a while but otherwise… the man is a genius."

"You haven't allowed him to work on the Time Junction machine have you?" Irvine asked. It was the machinery that Ultimecia would use to create Time Compression. After they had told President Lorie about it, it had been taken out of Dr. Odine's hands and locked up but Irvine didn't trust the doctor to not try to get at it again.

"It's still buried deep in an underground lab." Ellone reassured. "Laguna is the only one with the key and he has no intentions of letting the doctor get near it. Besides he would need more research on me and I'm hardly going to let him. No, he's been studying some captured Thrustaevis. The monsters don't breed you know, there's only those that fall each Lunar Cry and those alone, and so he artificially bred one."

Selphie looked stricken. "Artificially? Like petri-dishes and needles?"

Ellone nodded and then went on exuberantly, her smile less fake this time. "We've never been able to tame any monsters; unfortunately they're all quite mad. But by taking DNA from the creature the doctor has produced a baby Thrustaevis and it's showing none of the signs of madness that the captured ones do. It's actually quite intelligent."

Irvine realized he was staring and stopped. Hyne's blood, a baby Thrustaevis? A baby monster was what it was. But if breeding monsters kept the doctor busy Irvine would leave him to it.

He certainly had a pick of monsters to choose from. The 50 year cyclical Lunar Cry that had hit the Kashkabald Desert four years ago had been close enough to Esthar that the country had been the first on the scene to try and contain the devastation.

The thought of the lunar cry soured his mood. They'd been busy with cleaning up the mess as best they could when XU had called to tell them that Squall's monthly communication hadn't come in. Maybe if they'd responded immediately they could have reached Squall and Rinoa in time. Maybe they could have prevented it all.

"What do you mean by signs of madness?" Quistis asked and Irvine pulled himself away from those thoughts. He looked up and saw that the blonde was interested despite herself. "Are you saying there's more to the monsters than just an instinct to fight?"

Ellone leaned forward. "Yes! Instinct would have been passed through the genes. But the baby Thrustaevis shows no inclination towards aggressive behavior."

"But it was bred artificially," Zell said and frowned. "So, what makes the little Thrust different from a normal Thrust if they both have the same DNA?"

"One was born in a dish and the others fell from the sky," Selphie said with the intonation of 'duh' laced through her voice.

Zell gave her a grimace. "Well why then are all those that fall from the sky intent on killing us all?" He turned to Ellone. "And if monsters never reproduce why are there so many falling on our heads in the first place?"

Ellone shrugged eloquently. "The moon is bigger than this world, far bigger. My only guess is that there are millions more of them then there are of us."

Quistis shared Zell's frown. "But how did they get there if they can't reproduce?"

"We're not sure," Ellone answered. "We have no idea what life on the moon is like for these creatures but anatomically, reproduction does not seem possible. There are no gender differences that we can tell of in any of the captured creatures and if put together for long amounts of time they show no inclination towards mating." She unfolded and folded her napkin, not looking at it. "Perhaps there is another way reproduction works on the moon but on earth here, it does not seem possible." Ellone seemed to droop with the lack of discovery.

Irvine digested all that had been said and brought the conversation back to the question that hadn't been answered. "Why would a bred Thrustaevis show no aggressive behavior while all others do?"

Ellone perked up again. "Ah, well that is what we are trying to study now. I believe it has to do with the fact that it was bred here in this world. It is the simplest answer. Maybe there is a toxin in the air on the moon? I am not positive. But it's given the doctor direction to study the aggression in the creatures."

Irvine noted the word 'creature' Ellone kept using instead of the word 'monster'. She was too kind-hearted for her own good. A Scan titled them as monsters and that was what they were, but he held his tongue. There was no need to be rude. "Sounds interesting," he said instead as their food arrived. He leaned back as crab was placed before him. Zell made a whining sound of anticipation and then dug in as soon as the waitress had gone.

Irvine waited until Ellone excused herself for the restrooms, then after a moment did the same. Zell caught his eyes as he stood but didn't betray his thoughts on the matter. Irvine knew Zell knew what he was planning and that he didn't like it. Zell had never liked using Ellone in the first place.

He was leaning against the portioned off wall when Ellone came out, fixing the clip in her shoulder length hair. She stopped when she saw him. "Irvine?"

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked. Her eyes darted away and her lips tightened but she nodded. She knew what this was about. She leaned against the wall next to him and clasped her hands around her elbows. Irvine exhaled a long breath and then went straight to the point. There was no need to jump around it. "We need some answers."

"I won't do it," she answered, barely letting him finish. "Knowing won't change anything."

"It will," he argued and turned towards her slightly in the dim space. "We have to know who this child is."

"Even if I did try, that part of Squall's past is blocked. Or don't you remember?"

"I think if you try hard enough you could break past it."

She glared up at him. "Why would I want to?"

"Ellone," he growled. "Rinoa's body is frozen in a lab in Esthar. I know you've seen the body. Something happened that day. Maybe something happened before that. There's a four month gap of time in which we don't have _any_ reliable information. One clue, _one_, could help us figure out what the hell happened and why this girl has Rinoa's powers."

"What would you do if you knew who the girl was? She's only a child, Irvine."

"She's not," Irvine corrected. "She's a sorceress. That changes everything."

Ellone looked away. "I've never asked because I think I know, but…" her voice lowered to a whisper. "You're going to kill that child, aren't you."

Irvine's let his own eyes dart away this time. "It's one life against millions. I'll do what I can to prevent a future with Ultimecia in it." He glanced back as he heard her sharp inhalation. "I won't gun the girl down. We'll take her into custody and question her. After that…" He didn't finish his sentence.

He shifted his gaze as a woman came around the corner and moved towards the restrooms. She smiled at them as she passed. Ellone watched her too, silent. The woman must have felt their stares because she looked back once as she opened the door before hurrying in.

He shifted a little closer to Ellone. "I don't know for sure if Squall's past will solve anything, Ellone. I don't. But it's the last place to look. We _need_ some kind of clue about how the child got the powers. If Rinoa transferred her powers or if there's something else going on."

Ellone looked back to him, holding his gaze for only a moment. "I can't, Irvine. I promised him." He could hear the sob she was keeping locked in her throat.

He reached to touch her arm briefly. "Think about it. He _asked_ you not to look. Why would he do that? What was he trying to hide?"

Ellone jerked her gaze back to his and this time there was fire in them. "Maybe he just wanted the privacy," she snapped. Irvine felt a pang in his chest at the snap. "Irvine," Ellone said, leaning towards him. "What I can do… it's inhumane. How would you like it if someone else could have access to all your memories? What if anyone could see all your mistakes and faults? I can show _anyone_. There is nothing you can hide. It's the worst kind of betrayal. It's a violation."

Irvine breathed in through his nose. "It doesn't change anything," he finally said through a constricted throat. "We can't allow another Sorceress to rule over the world. We _can't_."

Ellone turned away. "It may not even be Ultimecia."

"Even if she's not, Ultimecia won't be far behind. She wasn't that far in the future."

Ellone was still looking straight ahead. "His past is not a puzzle to be dissected."

The woman came back out of the restroom but this time she hurried by without looking at them. Irvine tried to smooth his expression out. "I just need what's behind that block. Nothing else."

"You betray Squall's trust by asking this."

"I know," he said and his voice cracked. "Hyne, Ellone, I know. But if Squall was in my position he would ask the same thing. You know he would. I have to find this child. I have to prevent what the future can become. And I have to find out _who _she is to do either."

They stared at one another. Ellone clasped her elbows in her hands and looked away first. Irvine stood silent for a few moments before he shifted his weight and tucked his head down. "Please, just think over it." He said to the carpet.

He glanced up and saw Ellone give a jerky nod before she pushed past him and walked away. He stayed where he was trying to convince himself he had done the right thing.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Squall pulled the second contact from his eye and blinked as he put the soft lens in its case. He shut it then looked back up into the mirror and his grey eyes. Avoiding the rest of his face he turned, setting the contact case on the cabinet, and moved back into the bedroom.

Chayla beamed at him from the bed that had been one of her birthday presents. They had set it up in the corner and her hands were smoothing back and forth across the chicobo sheets she was under. He padded over on socked feet and crouched to place a kiss on her forehead. "All set?"

"Daddy? Are you mad at Lena?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad?"

Chayla suddenly wouldn't meet his eyes. "You dint call but she came anyways. She came to be with us. But she don't know about…" she glanced up briefly. "about what happened. You dint tell her."

He settled down on his knees and ruffled her hair. "She doesn't need to know sweetheart. She can still be your friend without knowing about that."

"Why can't she know?"

"Because she wouldn't understand. No one would understand."

"Why?"

"Because they… don't have what you have. They would be jealous, if they saw. They'd want to take them away from you."

"Can't they get some too?"

Squall mouth twisted in a bitter smile before he could control it. "No, Chayla. They can't. So we have to keep it a secret, okay?"

Chayla's mouth turned down into a pout but she nodded. After a second her own grey eyes turned back to him. "But you're not mad at Lena? For comin'?"

"No," he said in reassurance. "I'm not mad at Alina."

"Can we go to her house?" Chayla asked.

"Maybe. But she's living with her sister now."

"Is it a wicked sister or a good sister?"

Squall shrugged. "I don't know. You'll have to ask Alina about her." He tucked a strand of black hair away from her face before getting to his feet and moving to the bigger bed a few feet away. Chayla turn onto her side and closed her eyes as he sat on the edge of his bed to pull his socks and shirt off and then turn the sheet down so he could slide in.

He was reaching for the lamp when arms encircled his waist and a weight pressed against his back. He flinched before freezing. "Finally, a bed all too ourselves," Rinoa murmured. The voice was soft and sweet, the arms a solid weight.

"Daddy?" Chayla had opened her eyes again and was looking at him, waiting for him to turn the light off. She gave no indication that she could see Rinoa's arms around him or the movement of her leg twining over his. Rinoa breathed against the spot between his shoulders and made a humming sound. Then she was gone.

"Everything's fine," he croaked and clicked the lamp off. Darkness enveloped the room and slowly, he laid down.


	3. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

**Spring, 5004**

-_The future isn't set in stone-_

Laguna wasn't listening to the voice on the other end of the phone.

His ankles were crossed on top of his desk with his shoulders pushing the chair back at a comfortable angle, gazing at the picture that had been sent to his private mobile phone.

When he'd mentioned that he'd wished he had a picture of Chayla, he hadn't really thought that Squall would oblige and send him one. He'd always said it was too risky to allow anything to connect him and Chayla together. Laguna had spent many a conversation trying to convince the man that this particular phone was the most secure in the city - it never left his person – but Squall had kept his hesitancy.

He didn't know what had changed. Had his arguments finally gotten through that thick skull? He doubted it. Squall was such a cautious man these days. But something had changed, because he'd taken a picture of his daughter with his phone and sent it to Laguna's.

The girl was grinning ear to ear and lying flat on a child's bed, her arms outstretched in joy and her eyes sparkling up at the person behind the camera. She obviously loved the new-looking bed.

Chayla had slept with Squall in one bed for the entirety of the time they had lived in Esthar so it wasn't too far-fetched that Squall would have kept her close in Timber as well. It was quite possible this was the first bed she'd ever had for herself. Laguna chuckled softly and ran a finger down the small picture on the electronic device.

He studied the picture a little more, not wanting to close the phone and have it disappear. Hyne's blood, she was so old. He could remember when she was only a week old, small and chubby-cheeked, like it was yesterday. Nothing like the girl in the picture. Except the eyes were the same. Big and grey like her father's, and so adorable. She was four years old now.

It was the first picture he'd seen of her; his first look at her in four years.

Why had Squall sent it?

Laguna's brow furrowed as he frowned. His son had sounded so worn out when they'd spoken, so alone. He couldn't imagine what it was like to have to leave a home so suddenly like they'd had to do twice now, what it was like to have to hide so thoroughly.

Perhaps Squall was just lonely and wanted to share Chayla with someone else?

That abruptly brought his thoughts to the woman he had heard in the background of their conversation. It had clearly been a woman and it was just as clear that she and Squall were fairly comfortable around each other from their tone of voices. She'd called him Shane. Squall had let him hear the name. He could have disconnected before the whole name was out but he hadn't. Something had definitely shifted since they had last talked.

Maybe Squall _was_ sharing Chayla with someone?

He wondered how long Squall had known the woman, and how she'd wormed her way into his life, and if she had anything to do with Squall's change. There was an instinctive worry that crawled through him when he thought of someone else around his son and granddaughter but there was a bigger part of him that was happy Squall wasn't _all_ alone. It had always concerned him to think of Squall raising Chayla by himself.

It also made him feel incredibly guilty. Squall did what he had not, raising his daughter with as much love and care as he could give. The fact that Laguna hadn't known _he'd_ had a child until the boy was already half grown did not matter. He hadn't been there.

He should have gone back when he'd heard that Raine had died. He'd thought it had been a monster attack. It hadn't occurred to him at the time that she could have died from something like childbirth. Even so, he should have gone back. Esthar wouldn't have let him leave easily, not after he had helped them cut all communications off from the world as they struggled to reinvent themselves after Adel, but he could have found his way out; forced open the Optical Camouflage System. But Esthar had needed him. _Thousands_ of people had needed him.

At the time he had thought it more important to stay then to reunite with Ellone. She was young; she would grow up well under the care of the family who he'd been told adopted her; certainly better than if he had tried to raise her himself. He hadn't known shit about taking care of a little girl.

He had told himself these things and they had gotten him through the first year, and then the second. And after three years, the situation was just what it was and he'd had a duty to occupy him. So, when Ellone had come to him seventeen years later and told him there was a man named Squall Leonhart with Raine's eyes and face he hadn't believed her. Couldn't believe her, because they had told him Raine hadn't been with anyone else after he'd left to chase after Ellone.

But then he'd seen Squall. And it was so obvious.

He should have said something then, when he'd been staring into the boy's eyes; or later when it was just Squall and him in that Ragnarok hanger. But he hadn't. He'd thought they'd have the time after the war was won. Squall hadn't deserved the emotional pain it would bring him right before he left for battle. There was time enough later. Laguna had told himself these things as well but the time never came. The time was never right. There was too much media; too much distance. Then Rinoa Heartilly had become pregnant and Squall was too distracted, too worried about the baby and Rinoa.

Laguna had done everything he could for his son and new grandchild without being too obvious. He'd paid for most of the medical expenses, firing off 'thank for saving the world' excuses. He'd given them a place to hide away, contained as much of the media as possible, bombarded SeeD with as many missions as they could ever want to cover Garden expenses.

But he hadn't told Squall. Hadn't had the long talk with him like he had promised himself. He'd been too scared of the rejection.

Squall had known anyways. Laguna had never figured out how or when but Squall had figured it out. In Laguna's mind that only made his betrayal to the boy worse.

He had never been there for Squall, as Squall was there for Chayla now. He still didn't understand why Squall had come to him four years ago. He understood the politics of the action certainly, but it had been more than politics that had brought Squall to his room that night. He would have thought that Squall would only have reserved hate for him. Instead the boy had allowed Laguna to help get him back on his feet, had allowed the secret phone calls, had allowed the difficult conversations between the two of them; he'd given Laguna permission to send Chayla a gift.

And now he had sent Laguna his first picture of his granddaughter.

Laguna lovingly trailed his finger along the picture again, taking in the little girl one more time. She had Raine and Squall's eyes and face structure but he saw his own nose and mouth there too.

"Due to the circumstances, I see no reason why we shouldn't send someone over."

Laguna snapped his mobile phone shut on the picture and looked towards the much bigger phone in the corner of his desk.

"Good." He said, "The research being done should be shared and as SeeD has worked the closest with us in containing the influx of monsters over the years I would be glad to have one present on the board."

He could hear XU Noviko, Commander of Balamb Garden, shuffling papers around. "I need to confirm with Galbadia and Trabia on their preference but I would like to send Quistis Trepe."

Laguna frowned. "For any particular reason?"

"She's got some of the best diplomatic skills we can offer at the moment. And with circumstances as they are…" she paused heavily before continuing, "I would rather she was active and busy with something concrete. She is also, to my understanding, close to Ellone Callow who is one of the technicians in your labs."

"So she is," Laguna said. He doubted Ellone was all _that _close to Squall's friends, but she did seem to get along well enough with them, especially after Squall's 'death'.

He wondered if she'd ever forgive him for what he'd allowed her to go through, thinking Squall had died. There had been times, when she had wept in his arms for hours, that he'd almost told her. But Squall didn't have to tell him twice how dangerous it was for even one more person to know what had happened that night. It killed him not to tell her, but he'd made a promise and he intended to keep it this time.

"If that's all, then I will get back to you with details once confirmation has been received." XU said. "I should say we can have her deployed within the week."

"That sounds workable. I'll look forward to hearing from you again." He replied then leaned forward to disconnect the line and punch in another. A lab technician answered after four rings and then left to get Ellone when he asked for her. He took his feet of the desk and put his chin in his hand while he waited.

"Laguna?" Ellone said when she came to the line. "I hardly ever get calls from you while down here in the labs. Is there something you needed?"

"How well do you know Quistis Trepe?"

"Quistis? Well enough I suppose. Why? What is this about?"

"The new board member we're bringing in on the research."

"Oh, they want to send her in? I think that's an excellent idea. She seemed interested enough when we spoke of it at…" She trailed off and he could hear the uneasiness in her tone. Most likely she was referring to the dinner she had joined Quistis, Selphie, Irvine and Zell at yesterday for the anniversary.

"Well as long as you're okay with it I'll give the go-ahead." He said, putting false cheer in his voice, sitting up and leaning back into his chair again.

"I suppose it doesn't matter who you pick, really. But I think Quistis has a good head for something like this. I…I know she was close to…"

"If it bothers you-" Laguna began, worry spiking.

"No." Ellone hurried to assure him. "But if it bothers _you_…"

Laguna smiled wryly. Ellone was always trying to look after him, even after all of the years that they had been separated, after all the hurt he had put her through… was still putting her through. "No, it won't bother me," he said and changed the topic. "How is the research going?"

"Well enough," she said, following his lead. "The second test is underway. Have you talked to the air station yet?"

No he hadn't. The new air station was barely up and running this last year, the previous one having been destroyed in the artificial Lunar Cry that had brought Adel's tomb down to earth in the war. "I will," he promised.

They said their goodbyes and Laguna called an aide to fetch Kiros. The olive skinned man was quick in responding. Laguna had only just pulled out the financial files when he arrived.

"Did you agree to SeeD being on the research board," he asked as way of greeting.

"Yes," Laguna said, flipping through the files. "Kiros, I want you to take money out of my retirement funds and put them in the cache." He found the file and held it up for Kiros to take.

Kiros took the file but he didn't look happy about it. "How much?"

"A few thousand gil, cashed like usual." He shoved the other files back into their drawer and turned back to see Kiros eyeing him. "What?"

Kiros shook his head. "You know my thoughts on the matter."

Laguna did. And he didn't care. "I'd also like you to put something else in the cache. It's in a box on my end table. You'll see it when you walk into the bedroom." He'd had Ward pick it up last night since he couldn't go get it himself without his entire guard questioning his sanity.

"Very well then," Kiros said and disappeared. Laguna watched him go and sighed sadly. Kiros didn't always agree with his decisions but at least he was loyal enough to keep quiet about it.

He knew where the hesitance came from; he'd had it himself in the early days. They were aiding someone who might one day repay them with the destruction of the world. He _could_ be making the mistake of his life.

But Laguna didn't think so.

Squall had told him something that night in his suite and Laguna had thought it the wisest thing anyone had said about the whole matter.

'_The future isn't set in stone.'_

Laguna was determined to see that it didn't, and in the process, perhaps, atone for his familial absence.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_The future isn't set in stone_

Squall repeated his daily mantra as he walked from the bedroom to the kitchen, blinking his eyes to adjust to the colored contacts he'd just put in. Chayla was eating her breakfast sullenly as he passed to the cabinet where he'd left the newspaper. He smoothed her hair as he walked by but she had been ignoring him ever since he'd refused to give her leftover cake for breakfast and she didn't look up.

Squall found the number in the ad again and flattened the newspaper against the cabinet as he dialed the number into his mobile phone. "Use your fork," he told Chayla who'd begun picking up pieces of eggs with her fingers. She gave him her half-glare, half-pout look and picked up her fork.

"Hello," said a cheerful voice over the phone. "This is the office of Mr. Blackenstock. How may I help you?"

"I'm calling about your ad in the paper," he said, bypassing the hellos.

"Can I put you on hold sir?" the women asked and then did so without waiting for his answer.

"Why can't I have cake?" Chayla asked from the table, deciding to try her arguments again.

He pushed the paper away across the cabinet. "You've never been able to have cake for breakfast. That's not going to change."

"But I'm four and all growed up now," she whined.

"It's not a matter of being a certain age. It's not _healthy_ to have cake for breakfast."

Chayla sulked. He massaged his forehead against the headache beginning. He'd felt a hint of it earlier but had hoped it would pass. Looked like that would be a no-go.

"Sir? I'll be transferring you to Mr. Blackenstock's aide. Please hold."

The wait this time was much faster. "This is Fitzpatrick. How may I help you?" an effeminate voice asked.

"I'm calling about your ad in the paper," Squall repeated, leaning over and putting his elbows on the cabinet. He hated to admit it but he was worried; the headaches were becoming noticeably more frequent. He'd have to start buying the bigger bottle of pain relievers soon if they were, to keep up. "About the Tonberry Knifes."

"Ah. Excellent. Do you perhaps have –"

"Is the job under the table?" He interrupted.

"Ah… yes. Yes it is."

"I can get them to you in two weeks. Where's the drop?"

The aide realized he was talking to a veteran of this kind of work and got to it. After details had been exchanged about the drop site and his payment the man tried to edge back towards his clientele script. "Sir, understand that we're not liable for -"

"Yes. Thank you." Squall cut the connection and slid the phone into his pocket.

"What are 'Onberry Knifes?" Chayla asked, pronouncing the unfamiliar name slowly. "Do evil guys use them?" She was eating her eggs with her fingers again. Squall walked over, picked up the fork and held it in front of the girl until she pushed her bottom lip out and took it.

"Tonberries are monsters." He told her, turning back to swipe the newspaper off the counter and move it to the pile under the sink. "They use knifes to attack people."

Chayla stabbed an egg. "But you kill 'em first," she affirmed. Squall took the pan, now cool, from the stove and began to wash it in the sink. "Are you going to go kill some?" Chayla asked over the sound of the water.

"Maybe I'll just knock them over the head and steal the knifes."

Chayla giggled and then smashed her fork down on her toast with a "Hah!" She did it one more time before looking up suddenly. "I wan' to come. Ou'side the car."

"No."

"But I always have to s'ay in the car," she complained, the whining note creeping back into her voice.

"The car keeps you safe."

"You don' s'ay in the car." There was that scowl again. He wondered if it had looked that ridiculous on him when he was her age. The baby fat couldn't help but ruin the intended effect.

"That's different Chayla and you know it."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the adult and know more things. Like how to be safe."

"Why?"

He snapped the water off and set the pan to dry on the cabinet. "Because someone taught me how to be safe."

"Why?"

He turned and eyed her. "Because that's what they taught in the school I went to."

"Why?"

"It was a military school."

"Why?"

"Enough, Chayla," he growled, rubbing at his forehead again.

"Why?"

Now she was just being a brat. "Eat your food," he said before sighing and going to find the pain relievers.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Yes. We have the witness here," Irvine said into the phone, leaning against the railing.

"I want a full report afterwards," Xu said on the other end. "You hear me Kinneas? No stalling. I want to know what she says as soon as she's out of earshot."

"Sure thing, Commander," he said. Only when he'd hung up did he grimace. He hadn't known Xu much before he'd transferred to Balamb after the war to officially pass the SeeD exam - she'd come across as stiff those times he'd tipped his hat to her in the hallways - but ever since she'd been promoted Commander her attitude had darkened considerably. He supposed taking up the position in Squall's shoes had not been an easy task with the military world looking on with comparisons in their eyes. But he preferred to think she was just an ass. Really, there hadn't been much to compare. Squall had commanded the Garden during a time of war. Xu was running the military's affairs in a time of peace.

If you didn't count the manhunt they'd been engaged in for two years, he amended as he turned back to the café's patio.

He stepped around the railing and strode towards the corner table where Zell was chatting with the witness, a middle aged woman who looked as if she had never been out of Timber. "Do you like living in Timber, ma'am?" Zell was asking as Irvine pulled a chair out and sat next to him. The women glanced at him briefly before smiling warily at the blonde.

"Yes, I've been here my whole life. I took over my mother's glass-blowing business."

"Shall we get started?" Irvine asked interrupting the conversation. Zell sat back and left off the unessential questions. The women, looking cagey, nodded. Most likely she had never had to speak witness for anything.

Irvine opened the file that he'd set on the table before taking the call from Xu and glanced down at it. He knew every word on the white 8 by 12 page but he looked for the pretense of looking. "Four weeks ago you reported to the stationed SeeD, Gregory Douglas, that you'd seen a winged child here in Timber." He looked back up to the women. She nodded. "Can you tell us personally what you saw ma'am?"

The woman licked her lips and nodded again. She was like a machine, nodding at anything he said. She took a deep breath and began. "Well, I was on my lunch break so I'd gone over to the nearby park to eat. It was a lovely day outside, very sunny and warm for this time of year. There was a man and his daughter there."

Irvine picked up the nearby pencil and scribbled on the paper in front of him. They'd assumed there would be an adult with the child, but confirmation was something solid he could use. Zell leaned forward as he wrote. "Were they the only other people in the park?"

"Yes," the woman said and clasped her hands in her lap, visible through the glass table. "The man was sitting on a park bench reading the newspaper. The little girl went over a few times to talk to him, ask him something; like she wanted him to play with her."

"How old did the girl look?" Irvine asked as she paused.

She furrowed her brows. "Three? Maybe? I'm not sure. I'm not really that good of a judge. I don't have any kids you see." Irvine nodded and motioned for her to continue. She cleared her throat. "Well the last time she went over he raised his voice. I didn't hear the words but he didn't sound mean. You know, like a father telling his daughter to go play and leave him to his work." Her eyes slid over the two as if suddenly rethinking her 'you know' before she cleared her throat and continued. "Well the little girl got mad. She climbed up onto the playground top and wouldn't come down. The father went over to stand near if she fell. He'd convinced her to come down when she slipped and fell off."

She paused and looked at them again. "I swear I'm telling the truth," she suddenly said.

Irvine eased back, realizing he'd been on the edge of his seat. Just listening to the story made him feel closer to solving the case. "We believe you," Zell assured the women. "Please continue."

She looked away and then back. "Well, she screamed when she fell. She'd fallen the other way from where the father had been so he vaulted over the stairs to get to the other side. Vaulted! He looked like some stunt man on the broadcasting station. Anyways he just made it, only when he caught the child she had wings and one clipped him on the head and they both fell to the ground."

Irvine couldn't help but lean forward again. "You saw these wings? What did they look like?"

The woman nodded solemnly. "I saw them. I picked up the feather that was left behind." She suddenly looked uneasy again. _That_ had not been in the report.

"May we see it?" Zell asked and Irvine could hear the longing in his voice.

At first it looked like the woman would refuse but she finally turned to dig in her purse. When she turned around again, she set the feather on the table between them all.

It was pure white. Irvine breathed out and picked it up delicately, studying its silkiness and measuring it's against his palm; it was bigger than he expected, running from his palm to the tip of his fingers. "Were the child's wing's proportional?" He asked, passing the feather to Zell.

"Um…Yes? I mean, they matched her size."

"What did she look like?" Zell asked and then drew a piece of paper from his pocket and spread it on the table between them, settling the feather aside carefully to do so. He spun the paper towards the woman. It was the drawing of a girl that they'd had the first witness in Esthar draw two years ago. "Can you flesh this out?"

The woman leaned forward over the table and raised a finger to point. "Well, her hair was black and in two braids." Irvine quickly started jotting down notes. This was a much better sighting than the one in Esthar. "She was wearing blue coveralls and a white tee-shirt."

"She looked healthy? Clean?"

"Yes. Oh and she had grey eyes, like granite. She smiled at me once."

Zell's fingers which had been folding the drawing froze. "Grey eyes?" he repeated.

Irvine glanced at the blonde then looked back at the women. "Can you tell us what the man looked like?" he asked.

"Tall, black hair. There was a scar down his cheek."

"How tall?"

"Um… shorter than you but not by much," she said, nodding at him. She must have been watching when he'd left to take XU's call. He added _5'7 – 6'0 _to the small bio he was making for the child's accomplice.

"What happened after he caught her?"

"The girl was crying. I remember he sat up with a hand over his head where the wing had clipped him. He immediately looked towards me, saw I was looking and turned so that his back was to me and the girl hidden. The wings were too big though, they stuck out on either side. He was trying to fold them to her back. At one point he shouted at her to concentrate." She paused as if letting the memory replay. "He glanced back to me once and I swear he was trying to decide how to kill me." She shivered and glanced down at her hands under the table. "When he looked away I got up and went to hide behind a building."

"Do you think he really would have?" Zell asked. Irvine went over the mini bio compiled on the sheet before him that he'd just made. A scar on the face wasn't a stereotype. But… Well, maybe it wasn't so farfetched. Anyone one raising _that_ child would be dangerous.

"Well, he had that scar down his cheek. And he had a wild look to him." She laughed uneasily. "Maybe I was mistaken. But my gut told me to get away. When I looked around the corner they were gone and a car was speeding down the road."

"What did the car look like?"

"Um… grey. Large. It was one of those big four wheeled trucks."

"And how long ago was this before you sent the report in?"

"I called a few days later."

"Is there anything else you can remember?" She shook her head.

Zell looked over at him the same moment he turned to look at the blonde. Irvine rubbed his chin and then closed his file. "Would you consent to describing the man and child to an artist?" he asked.

"Um… sure."

"Thank you." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled a card out that he'd put in there. "Here. This is our number. We will get into contact with you about the artist. She will most likely want to speak with you this week so that the memory is still fresh."

"O-okay. Um…"

"Yes?"

"It's just… she was a child. I don't know what's going on but… she was just a kid."

"Thank you, ma'am, for your cooperation," Zell said, pushing his chair back and standing. "Our artist will get in touch with you." He stalked off without another word.

Irvine contained his sigh and leaned towards the woman a little. "I hope you understand that this is highly classified information and not something you should be gossiping about."

Her expression turned sickly and she nodded frantically. "Please… I won't tell anyone. I haven't. I understand what's at risk."

Irvine eyed her. Maybe she did. She was old enough to have been alive during the war and really understand what it was about. He nodded. "We don't intend to harm the girl."

She nodded, believing his lie and gathered her purse. He reached for the feather on the table before her hand rose for it. "If you wouldn't mind, we'd like to do some tests on this."

She nodded, more hesitantly this time, and finally left, glancing back once before turning the corner. He fingered the feather, then gathered his file and left the café.

Zell was leaning against their car. Irvine leaned next to him. "You're letting it affect you too much," he said. Zell glanced over with a scowl before refocusing on the air in front of him. Irvine left him at it and pulled his phone out again.

The line rang three times before a women picked up. "Hello Kinneas. What can I do for you?"

"Paige. You know the drawing we had you do with the witness two years ago in Esthar?"

"Yea. I heard you have a new witness. Timber this time? You need another drawing?"

"Yes please."

He gave her the woman's number and she promised to be there in a day or two. "I'll call you when it's done. Will you be in Timber still?"

"I don't know. Just call."

"Alright. 'Till then." They disconnected.

Zell spoke as he was contemplating his phone, wondering if he wanted to call XU next. "I want to know who the hell this man is. Who would be interested in raising a child sorceress?"

Decision made, Irvine tucked the phone in his pocket. "May be a nasty piece of work. He sounds like he's seen battle before."

"Maybe," Zell hedged. "Or maybe the sorceress is just having temper tantrums."

Irvine tilted his head up to look at the cloudless sky. Zell's train of thoughts became his own. "He obviously knows who she is if he's seen her wings. What is he playing at?" More importantly, what was he hoping to gain?

He looked over at a rustle to see Zell staring at the drawing he'd had in his pocket. "Grey eyes, like granite" the blonde whispered.

Irvine frowned. "It's just a coincidence."

Zell sighed and tucked the paper back into his pocket. "I know."

Irvine pushed off of the car. "Let's go see how many residents have moved out in the last few weeks."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Alina said goodbye to her sister's back as it retreated through the front door and opened her laptop on the kitchen counter. She meant to search for employment but instead she found herself bringing up the Galbadia Army database. She was all the way to the search tab before she paused.

Curiosity had always been her weakness.

But she wasn't doing this just to snoop, she told herself. Shane was in some kind of trouble, she knew it, and she wouldn't be able to help him if she knew absolutely nothing about why.

Shaking her head she typed in 'Shane' and hit search. The database was public. Shane couldn't get mad at her for looking. When the next screen came up her eyes widened. There were at least twenty Shane's in the database! She groaned and scanned the list.

The list included all the Shane's that had been in service in the last ten years. She focused on the inactive Shane's first and cruised her mouse over each name to pop up their pictures. None of them looked even remotely like her Shane. She furrowed her brows and then moved over the four that were deceased. No resemblance there either. She didn't think he'd be in the active section but she searched there too. Nothing. His face wasn't in the database.

Unless he hadn't used the name Shane.

She frowned and sucked at her coffee. Would Shane had have changed his name to… well Shane? If he was running from something or someone… probably.

She made a disgruntled sound. She should have guessed that trying to figure out Shane's past would only open up more questions. But if Shane wasn't his real name… She shook her head. She couldn't allow herself to focus on that tidbit. One mystery at a time.

Just for the heck of it she moved to the Estharian Army database. This time the name came up with three results; all in active duty, although there was one name, Shane McGuire, who had no picture. Alina frowned over it. Shane didn't hold a steady job. He never had as far as she knew. He spent his days with Chayla and occasionally he'd take her and his car and disappear for a few days. He always had money though.

Her mind flew with a new scenario. What if he was this Shane McGuire? He could be secretly working for the Estharian army. That could be what he was doing when he left for a few days at a time. But no… Esthar was on a completely different continent. She didn't know where he'd come from originally but he'd been in Timber for two years before moving here. He'd have to report in Esthar city itself occasionally even if he was posted elsewhere. No, it didn't seem plausible. Esthar was too far away.

What other armies were there?

SeeD

She pulled up the website but there was no database available. That was… odd. Didn't that go against some public right or something? She scowled, sipped coffee, and scowled some more.

That had gotten her absolutely nowhere.

She picked up the phone and dialed Shane's phone. "Yes?" he said once he'd picked up.

"Don't sound so grumpy. The nice thing to say is 'hello'. For all you know it could be some President calling you. And all you would have said was 'yes'."

There was a pause that went on a second longer than it should have before he answered again. "I know your number."

"So you only say that when it's me?"

"What did you call for?"

Alina rolled her eyes. "How would you and Chayla like to go to the zoo today?"

"The zoo?" he repeated as if he were testing the word out and found it wasn't to his liking.

"You do know what a zoo is, don't you?"

Shane wasn't even listening. She could hear him talking to Chayla in the background. "Stop it. You know that isn't acceptable."

She cleared her throat. "Sounds like a rough day. Why don't I come pick the two of you up and we'll go. My treat."

"That's fine," Shane said, not sounding like it was fine at all before he disconnected.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Have you never been to a zoo before?" she asked, holding back laughter. Shane eyed the cat looking back through the glass then glanced at her before shrugging. "What does that mean?" She asked. "I don't speak the male grunts-and-shrugs language."

"No," he said.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked. His look was enough of an answer. He took a step away from the glass partitioning the cat species away from the public and crossed his arms.

Chayla had her face and hands pressed to the glass. "You're not going to kill t'ese are you?"

Alina's arm froze where it was reaching for her purse.

"No. I only kill monsters. These aren't monsters." Shane glanced sideways at her as he said this as if wanting to verify that yes, these weren't actually monsters.

"That's right," she said, reaching for her purse again. "These aren't monsters. These animals come from the wild but we've put them in zoos like these to keep them away from the actual monsters. They were eating them all."

"If we put 'em in zoos, wha' do the monsters ea' now?" Chayla asked.

Alina didn't answer right away. Chayla's question had been an intelligent one; one that Alina had never thought of. "Well," she said. "I don't know."

"Each other."

Alina jerked her head towards Shane. "What?"s

"They eat each other," he repeated.

She felt her face twist. "Eww. That's disgusting."

"It's just another animal."

"Mons'er, daddy. Not a animal." Chayla cut in.

"They're not really that different," he said, pushing his hands into his pockets and walking a few steps to the side to look into the next exhibit. "They're just from different worlds."

"And one does nothing but kill people," Alina reported back to him.

He stepped back from the glass he was looking through. "Some men do nothing but kill people too but we still classify them as human."

Alina put a hand on her hip. "Well…" But she couldn't think of anything to say.

"Cum on," Chayla said, reaching up and taking her wrist. "I wan' to see more."

She let Chayla march her down the paved walkway and Shane followed, glancing back at the exhibits they were leaving behind. "You've really never been to a zoo before?" she asked him as they walked.

He glanced at her before looking away. "Should I have?"

"Well… most kids go. It's like a mandatory fieldtrip. Most school's take classes to the zoo."

He hmmed. "I guess mine didn't."

"What school _did_ you go to?" she asked. He glanced at her again as if he could tell that she was fishing and didn't answer. She huffed out her breath. Man that had been the _easy_ question.

The rest of their trip through the zoo was mostly uneventful. He asked if she had found a job yet; she replied in a negative. She asked if he had called Marila back about the play date; his grimace suggested a negative. Mostly Chayla asked a million questions about the animals and Alina answered to the best of her ability.

After an hour or so, when they were looking for the food court, they came across a dog on a leash trotting before a couple. That wasn't weird; the zoo didn't prohibit dogs as long as they were on leashes. What _was _weird was its reaction when it saw the three of them. Its fur puffed up and it started to _growl_ at them. Chayla edged over to Shane and gripped his pants leg in one hand. Shane himself was eyeing the dog warily but he kept Chayla moving.

The couple was confused as well. They apologized as Shane steered Alina and Chayla to the side. Chayla leaned out a little to stick her tongue out at the dog and it barked at her. "Stop it," Shane told her.

"Well, i's not being nice to _us_," she said but stopped. They got passed and the dog edged away, showing its teeth. Alina looked over her shoulder as they walked away. The further they got the more the dog calmed until it shook its fur down and trotted ahead of its owners again. "That was weird," she muttered. Shane was looking back as well, with an expression of… worry? He saw her looking at him and turned to face forward again, his shoulders just the tiniest bit hunched.

When they stopped at the food court for some food, Alina decided to pounce. "What did Chayla mean about you killing monsters?"

She was getting better at reading him. He didn't seem to move but she could tell he was tensing up. Slowly he turned from the people he had been watching and looked at her. Chayla put another fry in her mouth and when Shane didn't answer right away she swallowed and happily did it for him. "Daddy saves people! He goes and kills mons'ers when t'ere's lots around. Some'imes he finds fings for people. He's gonna get Fon-Tonberry Knifes t'is 'ime."

"Tonberry Knifes?" Alina repeated, her eyes tennis balling between Chayla and Shane. Shane looked pained as his gaze shifted beyond her shoulder. She had read the ad about the Tonberry Knifes in the newspaper that morning; temporary work. Apparently they could be melted down and used in medicines. She'd done her studying on monsters though; Tonberries were viscous. There were not very many people she knew who would take a job like that, even for the outrageous wages offered for it.

But she didn't know of anyone else who might be on the run either. Maybe Shane _couldn't _get a regular job? The whole leaving no trace thing. Or maybe he just preferred that kind of work?

Was this what Shane did? Take temporary work when he could? Was that what he'd been doing in Timber when he took his car and left for a few days every once in a while? He killed monsters? No wonder the zoo unnerved him.

"Tonberry Knifes," she said again. "So you do work then." Shane's eyes slid to hers like she hoped they would. "That must be quite a lifestyle."

Chayla didn't seem to think so. "I have to s'ay in the car all the 'ime," she pouted. "Daddy won' le' me help, ever!" She glared at her father. He glared back.

Alina snorted then covered her mouth as laughter overtook her. The two turned glares on her next. That made her laugh harder. "Hyne, Alina," Shane said, rubbing his forehead and looking away as if embarrassed to be sitting next to her.

"Sorry," she giggled, forcing herself to get the laughter under control. "It's just… your glares are identical so when you glare at each other…" She laughed again briefly and leaned back. "It was just cute."

Shane eyed her. She grinned at him. "I have a proposition for you."

"A… proposition?" he asked warily.

"Yes. I propose that I come with you when you go for these Tonberry Knifes." She could already see the 'no' forming in his eyes so she hurried on. "I could watch Chayla. A car can only be so safe, right? I won't intrude on anything, I swear. I'd just keep Chayla company. It can't be healthy to leave her in a car for an hour while you work, can it?"

The gears started working. She cheered silently when Shane didn't dash her idea to pieces right away. He was obviously thinking about it. And seriously, by the glance he sent at Chayla. For her part, Chayla was watching him with big eyes, hope practically leaking off her.

Alina crossed her fingers under the table as Shane scrutinized her for what felt like forever. Finally he looked away. "Be at the apartment on Fridi by six."

"In the morning?" she asked, incredulous. He looked at her and she switched her tone around real quick. "Got it!"

Chayla shrieked in happiness and the rest of the lunch break was taken up by her plans on what they could do in the car while 'daddy' was busy. It was a very long list.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

AN: There you go. I hope you like it! Some of you might notice that I've changed some of how Chayla pronounces her words to make her sound younger than she sounded in the previous chapter. I can't promise it will stay this way so just bear with the inconsistency for a little bit. I'd also love any comments on the matter if you have any. Any comments in general are very welcomed. I love feedback and a little story lovin'. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

**Spring 5004**

_-__"I can save her."-_

Irvine stared up at the condo before him, fingering the key that the landlord had given him. It was the only house in town that had been deserted in the correct time frame. The landlord had said that the man and child had lived on the left side so Irvine focused on that one.

He was still staring at it when Zell pulled into the driveway in the black car they'd rented. "Nothing," he said when he got out. "There was no forwarding address left at the post office."

"Of course not," Irvine said, sighing. They'd known there wouldn't be one, but they had to check; just in case. He held the key in his hand up and nodded towards the condo. Zell followed him up the small walkway to the door and Irvine unlocked it. "The landlord said there are still some things left," he commented and then opened the door.

They both peeked in. "_Some_ things?" Zell asked, and stepped inside. The room in front of them didn't seem deserted. There was a loveseat and a chair in the center of the room with a coffee table in front of them. There was even one leather coaster still placed on the low table. A brief glance at the three walled kitchen in the back showed a small table.

They entered the place and Irvine walked into the kitchen and opened a cupboard. Empty. He opened a few more. All of the food was gone as were most of the cooking supplies. Zell called out from the bedroom "No clothes or sheets anywhere, but the bed's still here."

Irvine frowned and leaned a hip against a counter, looking out over the opening above the sink into the living room as Zell came back into the main room. "All the big furniture was left."

Zell picked up the leather coaster. "And the unessential's. Probably didn't have enough room in the car they left in."

"He left quickly."Irvine muttered, frustrated. He didn't know why the half-full house upset him but it did, more than an empty house would have.

"There was too much media from the Esthar sighting," Zell added, putting the coaster down and crossing his arms with a frown. "He knows we're after him. And if he knows what she is…" the frown on his face deepened. "Do you think he knows _who_ she is… or could be?"

Irvine watched Zell. "Maybe. He knows she's a sorceress."

"Why," Zell muttered, more to himself than aloud.

_Why does he protect her, _Irvine finished for Zell in his head. _What does he get out of it?_

Irvine looked down at the manila folder in his hands, then moved out of the kitchenette and strode to the couch. He sat, and opened the folder on the condo's occupants, flipping through the paperwork on the move-in/move-out inspections, utilizes and tenant rules until he came across the lease agreement form. He scrutinized it with Zell looking over his shoulder.

Shane Guile, one dependent, security deposit paid in cashed gil.

Zell pointed. "Move-in date is Aprua tenth, 5002 y. The sighting in Esthar was at the end of Marua, only two weeks or so before this." So he hadn't moved quite as fast then as he had this time.

Irvine grunted. "This doesn't tell us much." He flipped through the rest of the papers but there was nothing else with any pertinent information. Nothing more than what the landlord had already told them.

"It gives us the name he was going by." Zell said, sighing and coming around the couch to sit down next to him. He picked up the remote that was on the nearby table and clicked the television on. "The last thing he was watching was…" when the broadcasting came up, it was the news. "Hmph," Zell said, clicking it off again. "No surprise there."

Irvine reached forward and plucked the coaster from the coffee table, twirling it through his hands as he stared at it. It seemed so… mundane a thing to have lying out, so… normal. It didn't fit the pattern he'd been picturing.

He frowned as that thought really hit him. What _had _he been thinking it would look like? Talon marks in the walls? Evil diabolical plans scribbled in notebooks? He put the coaster down and rubbed a hand over his face. No, not that. But maybe something in between that and this reality. This room threw him off his game a little. It changed things in a way that he didn't think he even really understood. But he could feel it; a small painful curling in his chest.

He hesitated then shared his thoughts with Zell, hoping that would alleviate the feeling. "I didn't expect it to look so… normal?" Zell glanced at him once before his gaze shifted around the room. Irvine watched him and came to the conclusion. "You did."

Zell shrugged and crossed his arms. Then changed the topic. "You talked to Ellone didn't you?" Zell asked suddenly, not looking at him.

Irvine turned away, but kept Zell in his periphery. "Yes. She said she'd think about it."

Zell looked towards the window, disapproval leaking off of him. "You really think she can break that block?"

"I hope so," Irvine said, ignoring Zell's discontent. "I just don't see how this," he waved a hand around the room "is going to get us anywhere. We can't even say that this 'Shane Guile' didn't change his name when he fled Timber or that it's even the same name he used while in Esthar."

"And he could be anywhere now," Zell concluded warily.

Irvine clutched the manila folder in his hands. "If Squall saw who Rinoa transferred her powers to then maybe we can track that."

In his periphery, Zell turned to look at him. "And I don't see how _that _will get us anywhere."

Irvine frowned, and glanced at the blonde. "We could see who the child is."

"We already have an idea of what she looks like, Irvine. And if the witnesses' are right she would have had to be a baby when the power was transferred. Beside's it's not likely that you will see where she goes once she's gotten the magic. It's not like Squall was able to follow whoever it was that took the child."

"We can confirm whether it was Rinoa who transferred the magic."

"That won't tell us where the girl is either," Zell muttered. He looked away again and then looked back. "Are you sure you aren't just doing it for personal reasons?"

Lips thinning, Irvine looked aside, not sure if he could answer.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Alina was pulling around the corner to the condo when the black car passed. Normally she probably wouldn't have even noticed it, but the blonde man looking out the window caught her eye as they passed and there was something in that expression that made her stop from immediately looking away.

She saw his eyes furrow at the U-Haul she was driving, and then they were passed each other. She frowned, looking into her side mirror as the car turned around the corner, then focused on driving the rest of the street and backing the huge truck into the driveway of her and Shane's old condo. By the time she'd parked the thing, she'd almost gotten over the chill the whole thing had given her.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and looked over at her passenger. Her sister raised an eyebrow as if to say 'what?' Alina shook her head; she was just being paranoid. She clapped her hands and smiled. "Well, here we are!"

Her sister was looking into the side mirror at the reflection of the condo. "Not a bad place," she commented.

Alina jumped out and walked around the back to open up things. Her sister helped her pull some flattened boxes out and Alina led the way to the two doors at the end of the short sidewalk, digging the key out of her pocket.

Her sister snorted softly when Alina finally pulled it out. "I can't believe that lady fell for your lie."

Alina glanced back and smiled. "That lady loves me. I always baked her cookies when I paid the rent."

"Suck up," her older sister said, shaking her head in slight amusement. "Still… a thrift store worker looking to take leftover furniture off her hands?"

"She'd have called to have it done eventually," Alina said, shrugging. Actually, she was surprised Jenna hadn't called someone about it already. Thank goodness she hadn't. Her sister might have killed her if they'd driven the five hours here for nothing.

They reached the two doors and Alina moved to put the key in Shane's door but her sister's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Lena."

Alina sighed and looked back over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"You sure about this?" Her sister's eyes were piercing, searching her own for something. They'd talked about this yesterday when she'd been trying to convince Denna to come with her, but she said it again.

"I'm sure."

Her sister's hand tightened on her shoulder. "Don't let what happened before influence you in this, Alina." Alina stiffened but her sister moved on before she could say anything, deny anything. "Being around this man might have more consequences than you're thinking about."

She hadn't told Denna everything in the beginning, but she'd had to have a viable excuse for suddenly ending up on her sister's doorstep. She'd stuck close to the truth and said she was following a friend who was having a rough time of it. That hadn't been enough however when she'd explained that actually her friend had left behind a house full of stuff and she wanted to go get it all for him.

If she'd been able to find someone else to help her do the heavy lifting she might have, but she didn't have anyone else except Denna. And Shane now, but it was his surprise so she couldn't exactly tell him. So she had explained to her sister some of what was really going on. It had definitely been awkward but in the end it had been enough to garner some help. Her sister had been oddly silent about it all. Until now. Now of all times.

"Alina, have you considered that he might be a criminal?"

That startled a small laugh out of Alina. "What?"

"I want you to consider it. If he is, you could be incarcerated for aiding him."

Alina frowned and thought of Shane braiding Chayla's hair; Shane laughing as Chayla played peek-a-boo with him; Shane's distress when Chayla had run away to her side of the condo one afternoon. He was quiet and reserved and secretive, but she didn't think he was a bad person.

She didn't believe it, not after watching him for two years.

"No. He's not," she said.

Her sister didn't let up. "People can surprise you."

"I'm sure." Alina said again. "You'd say the same thing if you knew him."

Denna looked at her for a while before she sighed and let go of Alina's shoulder. Alina pretended that she didn't see the pitying tolerance in those eyes and turned back to the door, shrugging the key into its keyhole. The door creaked a little as she shoved the door open and strode in.

She and her sister stopped a few feet in and looked around. It was startling, the amount of things still in the room. Looking at it now, Alina could see how odd it must look – so much left in a rush to leave. She hadn't really thought about how it would look to an outsider. She snuck a glance at her sister. Denna's expression was stony.

"You realize that if this situation turns bad I'm taking you out of it, correct?"

Alina turned away, lips thinning. Her sister was blowing this out of proportion. "It won't turn bad."

Leaving her sister to brood in the middle of the living room, Alina moved into the bedroom and allowed herself a grin, thinking about Shane's expression when she pulled up with all the stuff he'd just left behind. His new apartment was pathetically bare. He had probably just thrown what he could in his car and blazed off.

He was going to get a surprise. He was her friend now, and friends took care of friends. Whatever had happened, whatever he'd done or not done, she'd help him deal with it. And in the meantime, since she really didn't have anything better to do than to drive the five hours back to Timber on the off chance that his things were still collecting dust, she'd start by making his life a little easier. At least now he wouldn't have to spend hundreds of gil to replace everything he had left behind.

Besides, she told herself, walking further in and opening the closet to find the puzzles and games piled neatly on the top shelf. She wasn't going to let him just leave behind all the gifts she had given him over the last two years. Shane would need to experience many more game nights before she'd be convinced that he could actually lighten up and have fun.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kiros didn't know why he waited; he never had before. But he did, thoughts fighting with emotions.

When the truck came down the unmarked road, he was leaning against his own car, arms crossed. He watched as the car slowed and finally inched to a stop in front of him. It was mostly nondescript but Kiros would recognize it anywhere; he'd been the one who had picked it out from the sell lot. He stared at the man behind the wheel until he rolled the window down and stared back.

The disguise was good, Kiros had to admit. But the build and the shape of the face were still the same, as was the expression. "Your scar is looking much better," Kiros said as a way of greeting.

"Kiros," Squall responded, his tone wary. The man he hadn't seen for two years looked drawn and stressed. He hadn't put the car in park.

"Is the protective dome working as it should?"

Squall nodded. "It's fine."

Unless Squall had been firing missiles at it, the wear should actually be very light. Kiros had made it as impenetrable as possible. Theoretically without Squall's key, or the one around Kiros's neck, to disarm the dome, only a nuclear missile would be able to pierce it. _Theoretically_.

"What are you doing?" Squall suddenly asked.

Kiros refocused on the man and shrugged. "I suppose I just wanted to see for myself."

He saw Squall's eyes harden, but after a slight hesitation he nodded to the passenger side of the car. Kiros picked up the bag at his feet and walked around the car to pull open the door. He slipped in and handed the bag, which he'd always before left in the cache, to the younger man. Squall took it but didn't take his eyes off Kiros as Kiros twisted his body to look into the backseat of the car.

The girl was asleep, head resting on the side of the car-seat she was strapped into, dressed in a green summer dress with shorts and hair pulled up on top of her head in a small ponytail. She looked like an ordinary child, innocent and harmless.

Except that she wasn't.

"You sent him a picture, didn't you?" he remarked, still staring at the girl. Laguna hadn't actually shown Kiros what he'd been sneaking glances at on his phone, but with the way Laguna went doe-eyed when he did, Kiros had been able to make an educated guess.

He glanced sideways at Squall. Squall gazed back defiantly; it was answer enough.

He nodded at the bag in Squall's lap. The man opened it slightly and pulled out the doll that had been lying at the top. His expression didn't alter that Kiros could see, but perhaps his lips twitched? "He's getting too attached," Kiros pronounced. "It's a dangerous game you're pulling him into." Squall's eyes cut to his again, face set in stone. Kiros held them as he said "I'd like you to stop."

Something flashed in the man's eyes before vanishing. "I'll keep it in mind. Thank you for the delivery."

Kiros heard the clear dismissal. He was not surprised by the cold reception. Squall hadn't ever trusted him, not fully. Kiros only had himself to blame in that regard; he had never hidden his disagreement with either him or Laguna regarding the care of the Sorceress now sleeping in the back of this car.

He glanced back at the girl once more, taking in the care that she had been dressed with and her obvious cleanliness before leaving the car. He nodded at Squall and shut the passenger side door. Squall stared at him through the window a moment longer and then reversed the car back down the road.

Kiros watched till the car disappeared, then shook his head.

Nothing but pain and heartache would come from this.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Radeen watched the other patron. He'd been in the bar the last few times Radeen had visited. He'd sit and scribble in a small notebook, occasionally drinking from his glass or scratching his nose. Sometimes he'd run a hand through his long dark hair, or tip his chair back on two legs and stare at the ceiling as he thought.

Today the notebook was closed and the man was still, staring at the table in front of him.

It bothered Radeen for some reason, this deviation from the routine.

He glanced back down towards his own drink, settled between his palms on the table. It was something new and he didn't like it. The one he'd ordered the last time had been his favorite so far. He'd almost ordered it again this time but trying new things was important. There was so much he'd never tried before and it all deserved his attention.

He looked up at the stranger again through his lashes.

The man was now looking around the room, taking in the other patrons with a preoccupied manner as if he wasn't really seeing them but looking through them. Radeen knew that look well.

He grimaced and swallowed a mouthful of the drink he'd ordered. He needed to leave soon to relay the information he'd learned on this excursion. He should have left as soon as he'd heard the news, but doing so without exploring a little more of the city was unimaginable. So he had explored for a while and then he had ended up here, hoping the black-haired, distracted stranger would be there too.

He was there, but he wasn't.

He found himself staring at the black hair. He'd never known hair could be such a color, as dark as the sky at night. Nor the various other colors he'd seen in the last two years, either. It had been a shock, the variety that had surrounded him when he'd first ventured out into the world. The children that mother had brought home had all had red hair like his, and hers was a silvery grey color. He'd always assumed that everyone had red hair until they grew old.

He'd known that he wouldn't know all the right things when he'd first ventured out but he was only now truly seeing how sheltered he had been kept. A surge of anger rushed through him at the reminder, heating his skin, and he reveled in it for a second, content in its familiar intensity.

When he blinked there was someone sitting down across from his black-haired stranger; someone tall with short blonde hair. His stranger was looking at the blonde with a miserable expression.

Radeen's anger melted away, leaving him flushed but cold. He watched as the blonde rejected his new partner's attempt at sliding a hand through his. The black haired man hunched his shoulders and crossed his arms, expression becoming more miserable. They talked for a while, the blonde and his stranger, until finally the blonde leaned in, placed a kiss on the black-haired man's forehead and got up from his seat. His stranger put his face in his hands as the blonde man left the bar.

The confrontation had been odd and Radeen didn't know enough to say what had just occurred, but it had hurt his black-haired stranger deeply somehow, that he knew. Only when the man looked up over his fingers at him with bloodshot eyes did he realize he had been staring for a while. It was the loneliness in those eyes that caused him to jerk his eyes away though.

He shoved his drink away and took out a few gil, counting them carefully to make sure he had the number right. He set them on the table then stood and strode from the building, ignoring the corner and the man.

It was past time he was gone.

It took him half an hour to reach the edge of the city on foot in the dark. But once there he was free. He stopped in the middle of the empty field and opened himself up to the power. Immediately his wings coalesced and he smiled as the sudden weight settled. He loved the feel of power running through his veins, the heat it created under his skin. He flapped the grey appendages slightly under the moonlight, then, with a burst of speed, he heaved himself up into the sky.

It wasn't long before he was over the ocean and within the hour was within site of the watery crater that had once been the Kashabald Desert before the last Lunar Cry. Centra was right behind it. He wrapped his hands under his arms for warmth and continued on until he had traversed the mountains and found the canyon leading to the castle.

The small castle was placed far back in the Alnaj Mountains, far from any prying eyes. This region was cold and deserted, and the world's increasing population had yet to encroach into it. As far as he knew, none of the southern fragments of Centra had been inhabited since Centra's destruction by a previous Lunar Cry. But the castle had been up in the mountains and on the edge of the previously huge landmass and had largely withstood the continent's flooding.

He didn't know when his mother had found it, but he'd lived there for as long as he could remember. It was a home of sorts, no matter the fact that he sometimes wondered now if it hadn't been more a cage than a home.

Gerald the butler greeted him when he touched down in the courtyard. Radeen waved him off and stalked inside. Some of the girls were in the side room, sewing things and talking quietly. One looked up as he passed then quickly back down at her lap. The last girl his mother had brought here, years ago. It had been a waste; by that point Radeen had stopped enjoying having new companions brought to the castle for him.

A few men and boys were wandering as well. His old tutor nodded as he strolled by a few books from the library under his arm. Jaquien, his childhood friend, smiled slightly. Teesin turned around and walked the other way.

They all had red hair. They had all been brought here for him. Once he had revealed in it; had loved his little world as it revolved around him. But now all he saw was the sadness behind the smiles; the fear and the longing for a life they had been stolen from.

His mother's maid was leaving the room when he reached it. She nodded at him and edged past him on the stairwell. He let her go and stepped into the room.

"She was in Timber," Radeen said as he walked in.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Squall opened the door softly, trying not to wake the child asleep on his shoulder. She sighed but otherwise didn't move. Nudging the door shut behind him, he flipped the dead bolt and made for the bedroom, dropping the bag on his shoulder on his bed before laying Chayla on her own. She opened bleary eyes halfway, yawned, and closed them again curling around the doll she was holding. Squall soothed a hand over her hair and gave the doll another glance over.

He wasn't sure if Laguna had guessed that Chayla was in a chocobo loving phase or not – maybe all children went through the phase at this age - but the bright yellow plushy had immediately caught her attention when he'd passed it back to her. The eyesore had kept her entertained if nothing else on the long car ride home.

He stood back up, his knees cracking, and moved to the bag he'd disposed of on the bigger bed. He opened it to the same sight that had greeted him when he'd first looked in at it; _much _more money than Laguna should have sent. He sighed and started pulling the bundled gil out, counting.

By the time he was done he was in the middle of the bed with piles of money surrounding him. Laguna never gave him sheets higher than twenties; they'd both agreed early on that him paying everything with hundred gil sheets might become suspicious. It made for a lot more weight however.

Once he'd divided them into piles that equaled two hundred gil each he got up and started stashing them. One pile went until the loose floorboard he'd found the week before, another in the corner of the highest shelf in the closet, one hidden in the pantry, another under the mattress, and on it went, all over the apartment.

He combined the last three piles and took them to his bedside table. Sitting down on the now empty bed he opened the drawer and pulled a worn box out. He'd meant to just slip the money in and close it again but the glint of metal in the dying sunlight had him pausing.

He hesitated, then opened the box further and stared inside. It had been a while since he'd let himself look at it. Setting the box down on the bed next to him he reached in and took the necklace out, holding it up by its chain so that it dangled in front of him. Griever glinted back at him, twirling slightly until he reached up with his other hand and ran his forefinger over the etching.

_The rain had stopped a while ago, but he was still crying, his head buried in his arms._

_Ellone hadn't come back today either. He'd waited out here forever, huddled around himself in the cold, but she never appeared. Matron had tried to tell him that she wouldn't be coming back but Ellone had always come back before. She had promised him that night during the thunderstorm that she wouldn't leave him like his parents had. He'd heard her tell Zell that too. Zell had cried when they were told that Sis had left but Squall had come out here instead because he knew she was coming back. She had to. She had promised._

_Only she hadn't come back. It had been three days already._

_Had she lied to him? Did she not love him anymore? _

_He felt so betrayed. He sniffled, trying to stop crying._

_When he felt someone sit down next to him on the wall, he jerked up. "Sis?"_

_It wasn't. Instead, sitting beside him on the stoop was a man, an adult. And he said the most horrible thing. "She's not coming back."_

_Squall gave a wail and shook his head but he knew, knew somehow that the man was right. She really had abandoned him. He buried his head in his arms again as a fresh wave of tears clouded his vision and sobs racked his body. She had left him. A hand on his back rubbed soothingly for a minute before retracting. _

_Squall tried to pull himself together. Matron didn't like it when they talked to strangers, and here he was crying in front of one. He wiped his nose on his shirt and rubbed his face before turning sideways to look up at the man, trying to seem brave. _

_The man looked strangely familiar but he couldn't remember where he would have ever seen a man with such long hair before. It was long enough to reach the middle of his back in thin strands, kind of like a girl. But he didn't look like a girl. He had a scar on his cheek. He must be brave and strong to have gotten that scar. "Wh-who are you?"_

_The man didn't answer his question. Instead he said "I have something for you."_

"_Me?" Squall asked, suspicious. Why would the man have something for _him_? He was just an orphan. An abandoned orphan. Maybe the man knew him? Maybe he knew something about Squall's parents. "Do you know me?" he asked hopefully as the man got up and crouched before him. He thought he saw flecks of red in the man's grey eyes. That was odd. _

_The man ignored him again and instead positioned his hand between them, palm up and opened his fist. Sitting there was a necklace and ring, silver and glinting in the wet sunset. Squall stared at the lion head that was facing up from the necklace. _

"_Can you keep these for me?" the man asked. _

_Squall hesitantly touched the lion necklace. "They're yours, aren't they?" he asked, briefly looking up into the odd eyes before looking back down at the metal pieces. "I can't take them."_

"_I want you to have them," the man said softly. He sounded sad, sadder than Squall had felt all week. _

_Squall liked the lions. "Lions are strong," he commented shyly._

"_That's right." _

"_And they live in packs, right? Pack is family, they never leave each other." The man nodded. Those red flecks came and went again. Squall glanced behind him to see if anyone had come outside, but no it was just him and the man. Uneasily he looked back at the man still crouched in front of him. _

"_Are… are you okay mister? You're eyes…"_

_The man looked like he was hurt for a second but then he closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again the red flecks were gone. He pushed his hand forward a little, again offering the ring and necklace. Squall wanted to take them but how would he explain where he'd gotten them? He'd have to admit that he'd talked to a stranger. He chewed his bottom lip for a moment. "Will you be back for them?" he finally asked. "I could just keep them safe for you. You'll come back right?" _

"_Keep them safe," was all the man said, taking Squall's hand and tipping the items into it before standing up. _

"_Wait," Squall called, jumping up as well. "You didn't say if you'd come back for them." The man had already turned around and was walking off. Squall rushed around in front of the man and held a hand up in a stopping motion. "You have to promise you'll be back."_

_The man stared down at him for a minute before a hand came up and ruffled Squall's hair. "You will. Eventually."_

"_What?" Squall squawked, pushing back the wet hair the man had ruffled into his eyes. What did that mean? No one answered._

_The man was gone. _

Squall gasped and blinked at the bedroom wall in front of him.

Hyne's… blood.

He lowered his trembling hand and dropped the necklace back into the box. Closing it, he stuffed it back into the still open drawer and shut it away. Then he slowly lowered himself to the ground and leaned back against the bed as a headache started pounding against his temples.

The first time he'd seen a memory had been two years ago in a park. The woman had been arguing with her husband and had stormed off. She'd tripped over the bench he'd been on and cracked her head open on the sidewalk. He'd been calling the police force when he'd suddenly been the woman, telling her husband she was pregnant.

It had only happened a few times since; once with Alina, a few times with strangers, and the once with Laguna last week.

This had been the first time he'd seen a memory of his own.

He grimaced and rubbed his forehead. The first time it had happened, he'd thought it was Ellone. But it was different from Ellone's technique, he wasn't just there for a ride, he _was _the person in the memory.

He shuddered. Whatever it was, he didn't like it. Why was it happening now? Why him?

Maybe it wasn't happening. Maybe he was just going insane.

He sighed and crawled up the bed until his was standing. He needed to sleep. He moved towards the bathroom so he could take the contact lens out, glancing at Chayla once before stepping past the doorway.

He turned the bathroom light on and went through the motions, gently squeezing the lens off his eyes and sealing them in solution. Then he glanced up into the mirror, and fingered some black hair away from his face. He contemplated his darkly colored hair for a moment, frowning before tracking his eyes downwards. He froze.

The scar… it was in the same place it had been on the man in his memory. He reached up and touched it lightly, before looking up into his own wide eyes. What the hell…?

"You look frightened."

He whipped around.

For a moment he saw two images. In one her long black hair snaked around her head as if she was in water. Her almost translucent skin shined like alabaster, causing her lips to look blood red and her eyes to be dark pools of black. In the other she was like she had been before the pregnancy, all except that snarl to her lips. He blinked and the latter image settled.

He glanced over his shoulder at the mirror but he was the only one staring back out of it.

"You're the only one who can see me, remember?"

He knew it wasn't really her – it couldn't be her – but the sight caused a convulsive shiver to burn down his spine. She'd come before the memories had, just appeared one day in front of him when he'd been trying to put a half year old Chayla to sleep. She had laughed as he stumbled over the chairs he'd just paced around and almost brained himself on the floor. She'd appeared a few times after that, usually just staring. Only on her last few appearances had she begun to talk to him.

He swallowed and turned back to face her. "Sane people can't see ghosts." Mark two against him.

"Hm. Are you going insane then?"

He glanced towards the bathroom door and she was there, blocking the view. She hardly ever moved, just disappeared and appeared where she liked. He gripped the sink behind him. "You're not alive," he finally whispered.

Her lip lifted in a snarl. "Of course not. You killed me, remember?" Then she sighed. "But I'm not dead either. Obviously you did something wrong." She was talkative, which was unusual.

"I haven't seen you in a while," he finally murmured. Except for the other night when she'd appeared in the bed, she hadn't made an appearance for a few months. The appearance the other night had been so brief he wasn't sure it even counted. That probably really _had_ just been a hallucination. There was no reality where he could have felt her arms around him or her breath on his neck.

"Has it been long?" she replied, looking pensive. She shrugged. "I guess I was busy thinking of ways to kill that demon."

He zeroed in on her in an instant. "You won't _touch _her."

Suddenly she was in front of him. "I can't touch _anything_." She snarled and swiped her hand through him. There was no sensation on his end. There never had been.

"You know what she is," Rinoa said, withdrawing her hand. "And yet you refuse to do what needs to be done."

"I can save her."

"The way you saved me?"

He tightened his jaw. "This is different."

"Kill her," she hissed.

"No," he growled back.

She made a disgusted sound and crossed her arms. "You're a coward."

"Go away," he snapped.

"No," she snapped back, eyes flashing.

Squall rubbed his face with both hands. God, he was fighting with a ghost. He walked through her and left the bathroom, turning the light off. She was there on the bed when he passed into the room. "Something's wrong with you."

He sighed, and continued his path to the bed, facing away from her when he reached it. Thankfully she didn't say anything else as he shut the window blinds and lay down. When he rolled around she was gone.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Something's wrong with you."

Squall jerked awake. Rinoa was standing in front of the bed, staring at him. He was about to swear or cry or do _something_ when he became aware of the burning in his back. As soon as he focused on it, the feeling intensified.

He sat up with a grunt of pain. It was raining outside; a storm. He barely noticed. The burn was turning into something else; a heavy weight all down his spine. It _hurt. _He caught Rinoa's eyes widening as the crushing weight in his back jacked higher and then saw nothing. He twisted in pain, wrenching at the sheets.

After a few horrible, consuming seconds the pain lessened, leaving him nauseous. He dry heaved and stumbled out of the bed, almost falling, and tried to make his way to the bathroom through a spinning room. He only realized he'd made it when he bumped up against the doorframe. Pulling himself through he caught at the sink's edge and tried to take deep breaths through the painful throb in his chest. The weight _dragged_ at him.

Lightening crashed, illuminating the dark bathroom in bursts. Squall looked up at himself in the mirror with dilated pupils and there behind him, visible only when the lightning flashed again, were the shadows of three immense wings.

He knew those shapes. The bottom pair had been a dark obsidian color, with sharp tips, hardly wings at all; the top had been the darkest of black, demonic and by far the largest of the three. The wings in the middle had been grey with black streaking along the feathers; testimony of the madness that had infested them.

Squall shut his eyes and willed the vision to go away. But the ache in the middle of his back didn't leave. He opened his eyes and the lightening illuminated the shadowy wings again in mockery.

He stared at them.

Adel's

Ultimecia's

Rinoa's

He'd killed all three of them.

The ache in the middle of his back increased from the unaccustomed weight. He shrugged his shoulders but that only caused them all to flex outwards simultaneously in the semi-dark. In a sudden panic, he lurched for the light switch and shoved it up. Light flooded the room, blinding him, and his back spasmed. Heat and pain seared him. But the weight disappeared, wrenching away painfully.

He blinked and found himself kneeling on the tiled floor. He exhaled harshly and allowed himself to collapse sideways onto the tiles.

"Rin," he whispered. He tried again. "Rinoa." But she didn't come. Didn't tell him that he wasn't going mad.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I've got big plans for this story, so I hope you're prepared. Give the story a little love by reviewing if you're willing. I absolutely love feedback with your thoughts and comments.


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